Veteran journalist, intellectual and former political activist Hameed Akhtar belongs to that rare breed of individuals who are on the verge of being extinct. At the ripe old age of 87, he holds within himself a storehouse of priceless experiences and memories: in his youth, he has had the pleasure of rubbing shoulders with the likes of Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Sahir Ludhianvi, Saadat Hasan Manto, Patras Bokhari, Hafeez Jalandhari, Ismet Chughtai, Sajjad Zaheer and other extraordinary individuals embedded in the unforgettable history of Urdu literature.

His physical health may now be dwindling, but his mind is still alert and cognizant of the distant past, the present environment, and what it augurs for the future.

Despite battling serious illness, he appears both active and focused, and wields a rather commanding presence. Akhtar continues to write an Urdu column for the Daily Express, for which he has garnered a substantial following of readers. He also continues to be the general secretary of the Progressive Writers’ Movement, a commitment that he has been furthering since his youthful days.

Akhtar was born in 1924 in a small village of Ludhiana. He states that his paternal family descended from the sufi saint Khwaja Qutubuddin Bakhtiari of Ajmer, and that his elders had been involved in spiritual pursuits, with their day-to-day sustenance depending on the patronage of devotees. However, his grandfather made a will, stating that his future generation would not rely on this occupation, and should earn a living through other professions. “So much so, that he even forbade the family to call itself ‘Syed’,” states Akhtar.

Nonetheless, religion continued to secure an important place in his early life, and he became a ‘Hafiz-e-Quran’ at the age of nine-and-a-half years. Some people may find it ironic that, as a young man, he chose to be a stalwart of the Communist Party first in India, and then in Pakistan.

Answering a query regarding his choice of political ideology, he emphatically states, “My only concern was a just and equitable society, run on the basis of a fair distribution of wealth and resources. The only party that was sincere in this objective was the Communist Party, and even now I feel that it is this ideology of massawat (egalitarianism) that can solve our problems—those that stem from the exploitative capitalist system rooted deeply in our society.”

Akhtar’s association with left-wing politics paved a way of intense hardships for him in his early life. He recalls how he was amongst those implicated in the famous ‘Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case’ of the 1950s, and kept in solitary confinement for a year. His book about his experiences in jail gained much popularity, and he humorously admits to have written the book more as a means of income than anything else, since he had no other subsistence in those days.

Politics is now a thing of the past for Akhtar. His forte since long has been his writing, and his credentials in this field are distinctive. In the past, he has worked as an editor and column writer for Imroze, Mussawat, as well as for various left-wing publications, and also has a number of books to his credit. His regular Urdu column, Pursish-e-ahwal in the local newspaper, is extremely popular for its candid style and endearing quality.

Of late, Akhtar has stopped focusing on political issues, and instead has chosen to indulge in nostalgic remembrances and philosophical musings. Mundane problems of the common man, as well as his own daily struggles, which, nonetheless, indicate significant social issues, are also often part of his discourse. Be it the rising price of fruits and vegetables or the difficulties faced by people as they get treated for an illness, Akhtar is able to convert just about any issue into an engaging column that is sure to elicit a response from his readers. Thus, he continues to be a ‘people’s person’, empathising with the common man’s problems that he, undoubtedly, does with an unfailing sense of humour and wit.

Sadly, Akhtar is not very optimistic about the future of the country. He feels, “Only a miracle can help us find a way out of the current, dismal situation. The odds are against us. As always, the forces of change, which want justice, will find it difficult to compete with the establishment as well as with those who wish to maintain the status quo.”

He is also both cynical and amused about the anti-US rhetoric in the country. “We love blaming others for our own faults. The truth is that since the very beginning, our leadership has looked towards the US for financial support and later for military aid. It is our own fault that we have always relied on it, and it is high time that we rectified our shortcomings and lack of honesty.”

Akhtar is also particularly perturbed by the growing religious intolerance and adherence to extremist ideologies, especially amongst the young people. “It is particularly alarming to find that many of our youngsters abroad are becoming even more prone to the extreme views of Islam. They wish to study and live in the West, and yet they fall prey to the destructive ideologies which bring a bad name to both their country and religion,” he laments.

He wishes that the humane and liberal essence of Islam would be focused upon, quoting instances from the life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to emphasise this point: “If only Muslims would look towards the declaration of ‘Meesaqi-e-Madina’ , wherein our prophet gave exemplary respect and freedom to people of all religions, be they Jewish, Christian, or any other.”

Akhtar belongs to the generation that saw and experienced the struggle in the creation of Pakistan. The poignant memories of the partition are still alive in his mind and heart alike. He remembers, in heartbreaking detail, all that happened in the many months he spent at a refugee camp in Lakodar, where more than two million people had been stationed.

He remembers that, despite terrible hardships, the flame of hope remained alive in their hearts, kindled by the dream of a new homeland that promised them a better life, freedom and equality. One need not comment on how close we have come to this dream—perhaps some of us will help materialise the ‘miracle’, which seems to be the only hope for our glorious veteran journalist.