Habib Jalib

Habib Jalib (24 March 1928 - 12 March 1993; Urdu: ) was a Pakistani revolutionary poet, left-wing activist who opposed martial law, authoritarianism and state oppression. Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz said that he was the poet of the masses. He opposed military coups and administrators and was duly jailed several times.

Early life

Habib Jalib was born as Habib Ahmad on 24 March 1928 in a village near Hoshiarpur, Punjab, British India. He migrated to Pakistan after the partition of India. Later he worked as a proofreader for Daily Imroze of 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. But the conviction behind his words, the music of his voice and his emotional energy coupled with the sensitivity of the socio-political context is what stirred the audience.Profile of Habib Jalib
Retrieved 27 February 2018

Political views

Criticizing those who supported Ayub Khan's regime, he wrote:
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:''Kahin gas ka dhuan hae''
:''kahin golion ki baarish''
:''Shab-e-ehd-e-kum nigahi''
:''tujhay kis tarah sarahein''

:There is smoke of teargas in the air
:and the bullets are raining all around
:How can I praise thee
:the night of the period of shortsightedness

Jalib could never reconcile with the dictatorship of Ayub Khan. So when Ayub enforced his tailor-made constitution in the country in 1962, which a former prime minister Chaudhry Muhammad Ali likened to the Clock Tower of Lyallpur, Jalib wrote the following poem:

Habib Jalib's poems used in Pakistani films

In another incident which has become a part of the resistance folklore of the country, the Governor of West Pakistan, the Nawab of Kalabagh, invited filmstar Neelo to dance in front of Shah Reza Pahlavi of Iran. She refused and as a consequence the police was sent to force and bring her, which led to her attempting to commit suicide. This incident inspired a poem by Jalib, which was later included by Neelo's husband Riaz Shahid in the film ''Zarqa'' (1969). The poem was titled Raqs-e-Zanjeer (The dance of the chains):

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:''Tu kay nawaqif-e-aadab-e-ghulami hae abhi''
:''Raqs zanjeer pehan kar bhi kiya jata hai.''

:You are not aware of the protocol of a king's court. Sometimes one has to dance (before them) with the chains on oneself.

*The above Nazm/Song was included in film producer Riaz Shahid's film ''Zarqa'' (1969) in Mehdi Hassan's vocals which became a super-hit film song among the public in 1969 in Pakistan.
* " Zulm Rahay Aur Amn Bhi Ho, Kaya Mumkin Hai Tum Hi Kaho" Sung by both Noor Jehan and Mehdi Hassan in film ''Yeh Aman (1971)'', lyrics by Habib Jalib and music by A. Hameed. This film song also became very popular.

Bhutto's government

In 1972 Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto came to power in Pakistan after the 1971 war with India and a new independent country called Bangladesh emerged from former East Pakistan. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto came to power in former West Pakistan, thereafter called simply Pakistan.

After Bhutto's death, Habib Jalib wrote the following poem:

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:His magic has not been broken
:His blood became a slogan
:It has been proved, that he ruled his people's hearts
:He used to fight with the people like him (Feudal Lords), but with the (poor) people like us, he used to love.

Zia-ul-Haq's martial law

During General Zia-ul-Haq's dictatorship, Jalib wrote a poem on Zia,, Habib Jalib's poem on General Zia-ul Haq, Published 19 November 2010, Retrieved 27 February 2018 in which he asked how he could write darkness as ''Zia'' ( ''Zia'' literally means ''light'' in Urdu's death in 1988, Benazir Bhutto came to power and released Habib Jalib. Disappointed at the state of the nation, when asked if he felt any change after democracy, he said:
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:''Haal ab tak wahi hain faqiroan kay''
:''Din phiray hain faqat waziroan kay''
:''her Bilawal hai Dais ka maqrooz''
:''paoon nangay hain Benazeeroan kay''

:The status of the poor is still the same
:the days of the ministers have indeed changed
:every Bilawal (name of the only son of Benazir Bhutto) of the country is under debt
:while Benazirs (i.e the poor) of the country walk without shoes

Death

Habib Jalib died on 12 March 1993 and was laid to rest in Shah Fareed Graveyard, Sabzazar, Lahore.

Poetry

;Some poems in his own voice
* ظلمت کو ضیا ''Zulmat Ko Zia''
* قائدِ اعظم دیکھ رہے ہو اپنا پاکستان ''Quaid-e-Azam Dek Rahe Ho Apna Pakistan''
* فرنگی کا جو میں دربان ہوتا ''Farangi Ka Jo May Darban Hota''
* مزارے لغارے ''Mazaaray Laghaaray''
* وطن کو کچھ نہیں خطرہ ''Wathan Ko Kuch Nahi Khathra''
* یہ منصف بھی تو قیدی ہیں ''Ye Munsif Bhi Tho Qaidi Hain''
* گل سن ''Gal Sun'' (Punjabi)
*اس قانون سے نفرت ہے عداوت ہے مجھے "ise qanoon se nafrat adawat hain mujhe"
* میں نے اس سے یہ کہا ''Mein Ne Uss Se Yeh Kaha''
* دستور – میں نہیں مانتا ''Dastoor'' (Main Nahi Manta)
* جن تھا یا ریفرنڈم تھا ''Jin Tha Ya Referendum Tha

Recent tributes

Laal band remastered and remixed the revolutionary poem "Dastoor" in Habib Jalib's voice and included it in their 2009 album ''Umeed-e-Sahar''.

On 23 March 2009, President of Pakistan
*Communist Party of Pakistan
*Ahmed Faraz
*Mir Gul Khan Naseer
*Ustad Daman

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