HABIB JALIB

1928-1993
ABOUT

• Habib Jalib was a Pakistani revolutionary poet, left-wing activist and politician who
opposed martial law, authoritarianism and state oppression.
• He wrote in simple language and generally addressed common issues directly related to
people.
• He spoked actively against military coups and administrators due to which he was jailed
several times.
• He had received the highest Civilian award of Pakistan Nishan-e-Imtiyaz (after death) in
2009.
LIFE HISTORY

• Pen Name : Jalib

• Real Name :Habib Ahmad
• Born :24 Mar 1929, Hoshiarpur, India
• Died :12 Mar 1993.
• Nationality :
1. Indian (1928-1947)
2. Pakistani (1947-1993)
EARLY LIFE

• He was born on 24 March 1929 as Habib Ahmad in a village near Hoshiarpur British India.
• He migrated to Pakistan after the partition of India due to family pressure though he wanted
to live in India and defied Two Nation Theory.
• Habib started working as a proof-reader in Daily Imroze Karachi.
• He was a progressive writer and soon started to grab the audience with his enthusiastic
recitation of poetry.
• He wrote in plain language, adopted a simple style and addressed common people and issues.
LIFE HISTORY

• Habib Jalib’s poetry reflected his vision and approach to life.

• Jalib's poetry entered another phase as Pakistan drifted away from democracy with the
imposition of Martial Law by General Ayub Khan, the first military dictator of Pakistan.
• He vigorously opposed military rule, denied the convenient “law of necessity”, and
challenged the dictatorial policies both through his poetry and political activism.
• Habib Jalib was first imprisoned during the Martial Law regime of Ayub Khan due to his
defiant views on Ayub Khan’s capitalistic policies.
POETRY

• He mainly wrote about the evils brought upon society by corruption and inequity.
• Some famous poems in support of his own voice are:
• Zulmat Ko Zia
• Quaid-e-Azam Dekh Rahe Ho Apna Pakistan
• Farangi Ka Jo May Darban Hota
• Ye Munsif Bhi Tho Qaidi Hain
• Dastoor (Main Nahi Manta)
BOOKS

• He opposed martial law, authoritarianism and state oppression through his words. He
wrote many books in this regard.
• Some of his famous books are :
• Sir-e-Maqtal
• Zikr Behte Khoon Ka
• Gumbad-e-Bedar
• Kulyaat e Habib Jalib
• Harf - e - Haqq
REVOLUTIONARY APPROACH

• Habib Jalib is a revolutionary Urdu Poet of 20th century, whose passion behind his words,
the style of delivering his poems and his emotional energy associated with the sensitivity
of the socio-political perspective is what evoked the audience.
• He is a well-recognized Pakistani revolutionary poet, which reflected his vision and
approach of life and provides guidance to the lost souls.
• Habib Jalib was not a revolutionary who was confined to his poetry, rather he was a
revolutionary in his life as well.
• His poetry focused the ideology of famous revolutionist Marxist-Leninist.
REVOLUTIONARY APPROACH

• That exhibits he was a die-hard patriotic Pakistani, who served most of his life in
Pakistan’s Jail or on streets being an activist and politician and a faithful democrat who
fought for martial law, totalitarianism and state oppression.
• He raised his voice against dictatorship and established order in Pakistan, which inherited
in his poetic work.
• Jalib was a poet highlighted the common people’s dialect and became famous through his
revolutionary Ghazals and loud voice of conflicts over political disputes of Pakistan.
OPPOSITION TO MILITARY REGIME

• Jalib's poetry entered another phase as Pakistan drifted away from democracy with the
imposition of Martial Law by General Ayub Khan, the first military dictator of Pakistan.
• He vigorously opposed military rule, denied the convenient “law of necessity”.
• He challenged the dictatorial policies both through his poetry and political activism.
• In recognition of his sociopolitical services he was rewarded with imprisonment by the
Ayub Khan’s regime.
• He continued to receive this treat throughout his life at the hands of various
governments, both military and civil.
INFLUENCE ON PAKISTANI POLITICS

• He was not a “darbari” poet and seemed like an “opposition leader” to all governments.
• The popularity of Habib Jalib surged up tremendously after his poem “Dastoor” (the
Constitution) which he wrote in response to the imposition of a “new” constitution by
General Ayub Khan, in June 1962.
• The constitution was a turning point in our history which derailed Pakistan from
parliamentary democracy towards a dictatorial and autocratic “presidential rule” of Field
Marshal Ayub Khan.
INFLUENCE ON PAKISTANI POLITICS

• In 1964, Jalib actively supported Ms. Fatima Jinnah in her presidential campaign against
Ayub and wrote another famous poem on Ms. Jinnah.
• When Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto came to power, it was assumed that Jalib would enjoy some
peace because of similarities between his sociopolitical views (anti-capitalism) and the
PPP manifesto.
• But as Bhutto grew more powerful in the wake of the weakened military after the
surrender of Dhaka, the gap between the PPP manifesto and the government policies
grew wider.
INFLUENCE ON PAKISTANI POLITICS

• Jalib turned his voice against the Bhutto government and was jailed as before.
• Bhutto was hanged by another military dictator, General Zia-ul-Haq.
• Jalib wrote a poem against the “justice” of the military ruler, thereby initiating another
thread of confrontation against the new military rule.
• He actively participated in the movement for the restoration of democracy and faced
hardships from the Zia regime, and was once again sent to jail.
CONCLUSION

• Habib Jalib was not a spectator, but an active player.

• His poetry reflects the pulse of the masses.
• He was a true “representative” of the people of Pakistan, especially the oppressed
masses.
• He used his poetry as a tool to fight against social injustice, opression and abuse of
power etc.
• His poetic works when viewed collectively, seem like the sociopolitical timeline of
Pakistan.
CONCLUSION

• Despite his meager and irregular income, Jalib never compromised on principles and
values and continued his struggle for freedom, justice and humanity till his death on
March 12, 1993.
• He is truly the poet of the masses.” [Faiz Ahmed Faiz]