Maut Se Wapsi
By Shorish Kashmiri
Qalam Foundation
ISBN: 978-9697461899
240pp.

Maut Se Wapsi [Return From Death] — a title that may at first evoke the drama of a Bollywood film, complete with reincarnation and revenge — turns out to be something far more powerful: a searing autobiographical memoir by the legendary Agha Shorish Kashmiri, a writer, journalist, poet and political activist.

While the title suggests fiction, the content delivers raw, unflinching reality. The book itself reads like a feature film — filled with tension, suffering, resistance and redemption — but every scene is drawn from lived experience. It is not just the story of a man returning from the brink of death, but of a spirit unbroken by tyranny.

The book, first published in 1972, chronicles Kashmiri’s harrowing experience during imprisonment, during the regime of ‘Field Marshal’ Ayub Khan and his near-death ordeal following a long hunger strike. As a fusion of political memoir, personal narrative and historical commentary, this book captures not only the brutality of the time but also the moral and intellectual resilience of the author.

Agha Shorish Kashmiri was one of the most dynamic voices in Pakistan’s intellectual and political history. Born in 1917 in Lahore, Shorish rose to prominence during the anti-colonial struggle, when he made a landmark speech at the Shaheed Ganj Mosque conference in 1935. He played an active role in the Pakistan Movement, championing the political rights of Muslims in British India.

The third edition of late journalist, writer and activist Agha Shorish Kashmiri’s long out-of-print memoir is a reminder of the value of courage, conscience and conviction

In 1949, he became the chief editor of the influential weekly magazine Chataan in Lahore, using its pages to challenge authority and shape public opinion. He authored several important works, including Kulyaat-i-Shorish, Iqbal Aur Qadianiyat, Abul Kalam Azad, Uss Baazar Mein and Sayyidina Hussain Aur Inquilab-i-Karbala, blending religious insight, historical analysis and political critique. Though he passed away in October 1975 before reaching the age of 60, his legacy endures in the annals of resistance literature and Urdu journalism.

Maut Se Wapsi, a 240-page book published by Qalam Foundation, is the third edition for this long lost book. Set during the early years of Gen Ayub Khan’s authoritarian rule, it offers an unfiltered look at how the state crushed dissent back in the day. What distinguishes Maut Se Wapsi is its emotional authenticity. The reader is drawn into the silent, suffocating world of prison cells where physical pain merges with mental anguish.

Kashmiri’s fearless exchanges with jailors and his superiors, bold confrontations with politicians and unflinching stance toward bureaucrats offer valuable lessons in courage and integrity — examples today’s journalists would do well to learn from. The narrative that unfolds while Kashmiri is behind bars reveals the true face of the rulers. His courage in thwarting repeated attempts on his life is nothing short of remarkable.

Kashmiri considered Ayub Khan’s rule not only illegitimate but morally bankrupt. The book stands as a scathing indictment of Ayub’s dictatorship, blending personal suffering with a broader political critique. One of Ayub’s ministers, Saeed Kirmani — father of PML-N politician Asif Saeed Kirmani — was assigned to keep tabs on Kashmiri. As Kashmiri notes, Maulana Kausar Niazi, long before becoming a respectable minister in Bhutto’s government, was similarly tasked with managing the religious parties.

For his uncompromising truth-telling, Kashmiri was imprisoned multiple times. Despite being diabetic, he was shown no leniency or medical compassion during his incarceration. Yet, even in these pages of agony, Kashmiri writes not with bitterness and his language — steeped in metaphors, Quranic references and historical allusions — comparing Ayub’s rule with the rule of Mughal Emperor Akbar in the very beginning, is hilarious.

Kashmiri’s fearless exchanges with jailors and his superiors, bold confrontations with politicians and unflinching stance toward bureaucrats offer valuable lessons in courage and integrity — examples today’s journalists would do well to learn from. The narrative that unfolds while Kashmiri is behind bars reveals the true face of the rulers. His courage in thwarting repeated attempts on his life is nothing short of remarkable.

In an era without modern telecommunications, Kashmiri found ingenious ways to communicate with the outside world. Once he was supposed to be transported by ‘rail’ while in custody, but his journey had to be postponed, as police said they were unable to cope with the protests that would erupt along the way. His handcuffed meeting with prominent Majlis-i-Ahrar leader Maulana Jalandhri at Multan airport — despite heavy police watch — underscored Kashmiri’s defiant leadership and his enduring role as a symbol of resistance.

Scattered across 14 chapters, the book’s structure is not linear. Kashmiri moves fluidly between flashbacks and reflections, weaving past experiences with present struggles. This back-and-forth allows readers to witness his ideological evolution — from youthful activism to a more spiritually grounded defiance. His imprisonment becomes both a personal trial and a lens through which he interprets the broader state’s betrayals. Armed with references, court orders and letters, he not only dismantled the propaganda against him but also confronted the co-conspirators at every turn.

His hunger strike, described in excruciating detail, is more than a tale of suffering — it is a declaration that truth is worth dying for. Kashmiri transforms physical weakness into moral strength, turning his sacrifice into a symbolic act rooted in Islamic and Sufi traditions of resistance.

More controversially, in Maut Se Wapsi, Agha Shorish Kashmiri reaffirms his strong opposition to the Ahmadiyya community, reflecting his active role in the Khatm-i-Nabuwwat movement. He criticises the Ayub Khan regime for allegedly protecting the community and placing its members in powerful positions. Kashmiri presents this issue as part of a broader ideological struggle, portraying his resistance as a defence of Islamic identity. His tone on the subject is polemical and rooted in the religious and political context of the time.

As a leader of Majlis-i-Ahrar-i-Islam, he vocally opposed the Ahmadi community, demanding they be declared non-Muslim. His speeches, writings and mobilisation efforts significantly influenced the 1953 agitation and later contributed to the 1974 constitutional amendment that officially declared Ahmadis non-Muslim in Pakistan. These two strands of Kashmiri’s personality — as a fearless upholder of civic freedoms and a self-righteous persecutor of minorities — point to the ambiguities inherent in historical icons.

Beyond its literary and emotional power, Maut Se Wapsi holds immense value as a historical document. For students of political science, journalism and history, the book provides firsthand insight into the state of civil liberties, censorship and prison conditions in post-Independence Pakistan. It serves as a reminder of an era when speaking the truth came at a price, not just social isolation, but physical annihilation.

The book’s relevance today cannot be overstated. In an age where dissent is increasingly criminalised in many parts of the world, where truth is often buried under layers of propaganda, Maut Se Wapsi calls us back to the fundamentals — courage, conscience and conviction. Kashmiri’s patriotism was not blind allegiance to the state but a fierce loyalty to principles of justice and truth, as he saw them. He loved his country enough to hold it accountable.

The reviewer writes on old films and music and loves reading books. X: @suhaybalavi

Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, July 13th, 2025