PESHAWAR: Senior Pashto writer Salim Raz, chairman of World Pashto Forum, has demanded of the government to name a hall located in the culture directorate after Sanubar Hussain Kakaji.

A statement issued here on the occasion of 57th death anniversary of Sanubar Hussain Kakaji, an eminent leader of freedom movement of South Asia, said that Kakaji had rendered many sacrifices for independence.

“Being a poet, writer, critic, intellectual and journalist, his leading character has always been recognised on different forums. In order to pay tribute to his selfless contributions, a hall built by the culture directorate adjacent to Nishtar Hall should be dedicated to Sanubar Hussain Kakaji,” said the statement.

It said that Kakaji rendered meritorious political, social and literary services. He wanted to reform Pakhtun society based on equal distribution of wealth and dispensation of justice.

Kakaji took up teaching as profession. Soon he quit it and began taking part in active politics and in 1926 he founded ‘Ajuman-i- Zamindaraan’ comprising poor village farmers to address their pressing issues.

Later, the statement said, Kakaji expanded his political activities to city areas and became part of another organisation ‘Naujawanaan Bharat Sabha. He gave great strength to the politically charged organisation run mostly by young people and headed by Maulana Abdur Rahim Populzai. He was put behind bars for his radical ideas by the British authorities.

Kakaji was one of the founders of the celebrated literary organisation ‘Olasi Adabi Jirga’ in 1950 in Peshawar. The other two literary giants were Amir Hamza Khan Shinwari and Dost Mohammad Khan Kamil.

The jirga produced hundreds of literary critics, poets, writers and intellectuals.

Despite his old age and deteriorating health, authorities imprisoned Kakaji in Lahore’s Shahi Qilla in 1956. He was released only to die on January 3, 1963 and laid to rest at his Kaga Wala village’s graveyard.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2020