Habib Jalib

He is widely respected in Pakistan for never compromising on his principles. Journalist Hamid Mir believes Sufism played a major role in Jalib's political stance against dictatorship.

• Name — Habib Jalib • Birth Name — Habib Ahmad Khan • Born — 24 March 1928 • Birthplace — Hoshiarpur, Punjab, British India (present-day Punjab, India) • Died — 13 March 1993 • Place of death — Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan • Occupation — * Poet • political activist • Language — * Punjabi • Urdu • Subject — * Politics • anti-authoritarianism • socialism • anti-oppression • Islamic mysticism • anti-dictatorship • Movement — Progressive Writers' Movement • Children — Jamila Noor Jalib Tahira Habib Jalib Nasir Jalib • Awards — Nigar Awards Nishan-i-Imtiaz

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 attract the audience with his enthusiastic recitation of poetry. He wrote in plain language, adopted a simple style and addressed common people and their 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.

Criticizing those who supported Ayub Khan's regime, he wrote: • 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. When Ayub enforced his tailor-made constitution in the country in 1962, former prime minister Chaudhry Muhammad Ali likened Ayub Khan to the Clock Tower of Lyallpur, visible from all directions. Jalib wrote Dastur, verses of which include: • Original Urdu — English Transliteration — English translation — Devnagri •:چند لوگوں کی خوشیوں کو لے کر چلے:وہ جو سائے میں ہر مصلحت کے پلے:ایسے دستور کو، صبح بے نور کو:میں نہیں مانتا، میں نہیں جانتا:میں بھی خائف نہیں تختہ دار سے:میں بھی منصور ہوں کہہ دو اغیار سے:کیوں ڈراتے ہو زنداں کی دیوار سے:ظلم کی بات کو، جہل کی رات کو:میں نہیں مانتا، میں نہیں جانتا:پھول شاخوں پہ کھلنے لگے، تم کہو:جام رندوں کو ملنے لگے، تم کہو:چاک سینوں کے سلنے لگے، تم کہو:اس کھلے جھوٹ کو، ذہن کی لوٹ کو:میں نہیں مانتا، میں نہیں جانتا:تم نے لوٹا ہے صدیوں ہمارا سکوں:اب نہ ہم پر چلے گا تمہارا فسوں:چارہ گر میں تمہیں کس طرح سے کہوں:تم نہیں چارہ گر، کوئی مانے، مگر:میں نہیں مانتا، میں نہیں جانتا — diip jis kā mahallāt hī meñ jale chand logoñ kī ḳhushiyoñ ko le kar chale vo jo saa.e meñ har maslahat ke pale aise dastūr ko sub.h-e-be-nūr ko maiñ nahīñ māntā maiñ nahīñ jāntā maiñ bhī ḳhā.if nahīñ taḳhta-e-dār se maiñ bhī mansūr huuñ kah do aġhyār se kyuuñ Darāte ho zindāñ kī dīvār se zulm kī baat ko jahl kī raat ko maiñ nahīñ māntā maiñ nahīñ jāntā phuul shāḳhoñ pe khilne lage tum kaho jaam rindoñ ko milne lage tum kaho chaak sīnoñ ke silne lage tum kaho is khule jhuuT ko zehn kī luuT ko maiñ nahīñ māntā maiñ nahīñ jāntā tum ne luuTā hai sadiyoñ hamārā sukūñ ab na ham par chalegā tumhārā fusūñ chārāgar dardmandoñ ke bante ho kyuuñ tum nahīñ chārāgar koī maane magar maiñ nahīñ māntā maiñ nahīñ jāntā —:The light which shines only in palaces:Burns up the joy of the people in the shadows:Derives its strength from others' weakness:That kind of system:like dawn without light:I refuse to acknowledge, I refuse to accept:I am not afraid of execution:Tell the world that I am the martyr:How can you frighten me with prison walls?:This overhanging doom:this night of ignorance:I refuse to acknowledge, I refuse to accept:"Flowers are budding on branches", that's what you say:"Every cup overflows", that's what you say:"Wounds are healing themselves", that's what you say:These bare-faces lies:this insult to the intelligence:I refuse to acknowledge, I refuse to accept:For centuries you have all stolen our peace of mind:But your power over us is coming to an end:Why do you pretend you can cure pain?:Even if some claim that you've healed them:I refuse to acknowledge, I refuse to accept. — दीप जिस का महल्लात ही में जले चंद लोगों की ख़ुशियों को ले कर चले वो जो साए में हर मस्लहत के पले ऐसे दस्तूर को सुब्ह-ए-बे-नूर को मैं नहीं मानता मैं नहीं जानता मैं भी ख़ाइफ़ नहीं तख़्ता-ए-दार से मैं भी मंसूर हूँ कह दो अग़्यार से क्यूँ डराते हो ज़िंदाँ की दीवार से ज़ुल्म की बात को जहल की रात को मैं नहीं मानता मैं नहीं जानता फूल शाख़ों पे खिलने लगे तुम कहो जाम रिंदों को मिलने लगे तुम कहो चाक सीनों के सिलने लगे तुम कहो इस खुले झूट को ज़ेहन की लूट को मैं नहीं मानता मैं नहीं जानता तुम ने लूटा है सदियों हमारा सुकूँ अब न हम पर चलेगा तुम्हारा फ़ुसूँ चारागर दर्दमंदों के बनते हो क्यूँ तुम नहीं चारागर कोई माने मगर मैं नहीं मानता मैं नहीं जानता

On the third day after the death of his twelve-year-old son in 1976, Hyderabad, Sindh law enforcement authorities surrounded his house and arrested him in a conspiracy case. A total of 55 people were arrested in this case, including Khan Abdul Wali Khan, Mir Ghos Bakhsh Bizenjo, Attaullah Mengal, Khair Bakhsh Marri and Qasim Zia.

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 hanging, Habib Jalib wrote the following poem: • 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.

During General Zia-ul-Haq's dictatorship, Jalib wrote a poem on Zia, in which he asked how he could write darkness as Zia (Zia literally means light in Urdu).: • Darkness as light, Hot desert wind as a morning breeze • How can I write a human as God?

After General Zia-ul-Haq'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: • 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

Habib Jalib died on 13 March 1993 and was laid to rest in Shah Fareed Graveyard, Sabzazar, Lahore, Pakistan.

• 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

Habib Jalib is recorded with the occupation human rights defender. Recorded as poet, lyricist, songwriter and human rights defender. Within the Encyclopedia. Connected to 1 other published record in the VALÉORINE Encyclopedia.