Mohammad Hashem Zamani ( - born 1928 - June 10, 2005), was a prominent

Afghan Afghan or Afgan may refer to: Related to Afghanistan *Afghans, historically refers to the Pashtun people. It is both an ethnicity and nationality. Ethnicity wise, it refers to the Pashtuns. In modern terms, it means both the citizens of Afghanist ...

Biography

Mohammad Hashem was born in 1928 in the village of Lamattak, Kunar,

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

to the Ghazi Mir Zaman Khan, who fought in the

Third Anglo-Afghan War The Third Anglo-Afghan War was a short war which began on 3 May and ended on 8 August 1919. The new Amir of the Emirate of Afghanistan Amanullah Khan declared a Jihad against the British in the hope to proclaim full independence, as well as ...

and was a general during King

Amanullah Khan Ghazi (warrior), Ghazi Amanullah Khan (Pashto/Dari: ; 1 June 1892 – 26 April 1960) was the head of state, sovereign of Afghanistan from 1919, first as Emirate of Afghanistan, Emir and after 1926 as Kingdom of Afghanistan, King, until his abdic ...

's regime. Hashem Zamani obtained his primary education at the local mosque. He was 16 when, together with more than 100 family members, was imprisoned at

Deh Mazang Deh Mazang (), also spelled Demazang or Dih Mazang, is a hillside settlement in west Kabul, Afghanistan, located on the southern side of the Asamayi mountain. It forms part of District 3. Kabul Zoo is located to its south and Chindawol in the ol ...

prison in

Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

, under the pretext of "political imprisonment". While in prison, he met with and was influenced by the presence of prominent personalities of the time, for instance, Yaqub Khan Ghond Mashar, Sarwar Joya, Dr Mahmoodi and Ferqa Mashar Ghulam Nabi Khan Charkhi along with his family. Mohammad Hashem spent 13 years of his life in Deh Mazang prison, where he witnessed the demise of 28 members of his family due to various diseases and malnourishment. After 13 years of imprisonment, Zamani and his family were exiled in

Herat Herāt (; Dari/Pashto: هرات) is an oasis city and the third-largest city in Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Se ...

for a further eight years. He took part in the Grand Assembly convened during the presidency of

Mohammed Daoud Khan Mohammad Daoud Khan (Dari/) also romanized as Daud Khan or Dawood Khan; 18July 190928April 1978) was an Afghan head of state, military officer and politician who served as prime minister of Afghanistan from 1953 to 1963 and, as leader of the 19 ...

as the representative of the people of Kunar. Due to the

Soviet invasion of Afghanistan The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until it dissolved in 1991. During its existence, it was the largest country by are ...

in late 1979, Mohammad Hashem took refuge in

Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...

, Pakistan. He traveled extensively and participated in many different international conferences and gatherings. In 1987, Zamani migrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and settled in the

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. In the face of chronic ill health due to a second heart attack, and a stroke suffered in 1990 that paralyzed one half of his body, Mohammad Hashim continued his writings. He wrote the second part of "Scattered Flowers" and "The Injured Heart collection" as well as published 'Zindani Khaaterat". He was working through to the last night of his life on the second volume of his book which is currently being published, "Da Pohenay Inqilab",(or The Revolution of Consciousness). Mohammad Hashem Zamani died due to a heart attack on 10 June 2005, in

Hayward, California Hayward is a city located in Alameda County, California, United States, in the East Bay subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of 162,954 as of 2020, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the Bay Area, and the third largest in ...

at the age of 76. His body was transferred to Afghanistan and buried in his native Kunar Province.

Academic life

Mohammad Hashem wrote his initial poems in prison, assembled in the collection known as ''Zendani Ehsas'', or The ''Emotion of Prison''. His poems, articles and creative pieces have been extensively published in various prominent Afghan publications such as Anees, Hewad, Islah, Wranga,

Sistan Sistān (), also known as Sakastān (, , current name: Zabol) and Sijistan (), is a historical region in south-eastern Iran and extending across the borders of present-day south-western Afghanistan, and south-western Pakistan. Mostly correspond ...

, Tolo-i- Afghan, Baidaar and Etifaqi-Islam. Qutbi Khers, or Polar Bear, was Zamani's first book of the Soviet-Afghan War era. The book has been translated into English, and some portions also into French, Italian and Spanish.

Published books

* ''Zendani Ehsaas'' - (زندانى احساس) * ''Zendani Khaterat'' - (زنداني خاطرات) * ''Qutbi Khirs'' - (قطبي خرس) * ''Loya Qurbani'' - (لويه قرباني) * ''Sarey Khwara Bala'' - (سړي خوړه بلا) * ''Loya Qurbani 2 Took'' - (لويه قرباني ٢ ټوک) * ''Khwara Golona'' - (خواره گلونه) * ''De Azadi Armaan'' - (دآزادۍ آرمان) * ''Rosey Khamaar'' - (روسي ښامار) * ''Zakhmey Zr''a - (زخمي زړه)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zamani, Mohammad Hashem 1928 births 2005 deaths 20th-century Afghan poets 20th-century male writers Male poets Pashto-language poets Pashtun writers