POLITICIAN, prose writer, thinker and poet are just a few shades of Fakhar Zaman's personality whose philosophies and beliefs can be summed up by one of his ghazal

Un chand usoolon ko mein choroon bhi to kaisey Jin key liye ik umer main duniya sey lara hun This couplet is found in the book under review titled Fakhar Zaman Kal aur Aaj published by the University of Gujrat.

Sheikh Abdul Rashid of the University of Gujrat (UoG) praises the book for highlighting the achievements of one of the scions of Gujrat who made invaluable contributions towards the literature, culture and language of the region.

A major section of the book is in Urdu, of which the first part comprises articles of many intellectuals commenting on the writer's personality and works. The remaining part consists of interviews and lectures he delivered in various literary conferences, his prose writings, ghazals, as well as a compilation of poetic pieces by other poets which are dedicated to him. The remaining sections of the book are in Punjabi, English and Gurmukhi respectively.

Zaman's books — 13 in Urdu, 12 in Punjabi and 10 in English — were banned by Gen Ziaul Haq because of their bold stance against dictatorship. Professor Dr Muhammad Nizamuddin declared the writer as a metaphor of an era.
In Syed Shabir Hussain Shah's view, Zaman is a political intellectual. Dr Shaheen Mufti, however, is more philosophical in her comments and talks about the delicate issues touched upon in his novels.

The writer has himself summed up the essence of his novels in his Punjabi poem 'Oedipus'. The message in it is simple we are governed by the will of others. The poet reflects on the imbalance in our socio-political structure and how the current dictates of the superpower being willingly accepted by our rulers today were foreseen by him years ago.

According to him, it is the job of the poet, rather the intellectual, to perceive, observe and proclaim injustices by whatever means he or she chooses to adopt.

His advice is that we rid ourselves from the clutches of foreign agencies such as the IMF and World Bank to become an independent state. Also, we must bring together various factions of the society to work towards a
better future for the country.

His novel Saat Gumshuda Logon is the depiction of seven roles played by a man in his life. Another novel, Ik Marey Hoeye Bandey Di Kahani, is an extension of the first wherein the writer declares human relations to be an investment.

His third novel Bandi Daan is in essence about Bhutto's entanglements which eventually led him to the gallows. The writer feels that this world is a bandi khana and one can only find refuge in death. Meanwhile, his brilliant novel Bewatana is hailed as a bold statement in support of his mother tongue.

The following is an English translation of one of Zaman's
poems

It is the moment of degeneration
It cannot be time of growth.
Things fall apart
No time to rise and create
When shadows grow long
The midday glitter is gone
It is an apocalypse.
It is the time of separation
It is the parting of ways
It is not the time to meet.

Fakhar Zaman Kal aur Aaj
Compiled by Sheikh Abdul Rasheed and Tariq Gujjar
University of Gujrat Press, Pakistan
433pp. Rs1,000