He opposed military coups and government administrators and was duly jailed several times. He is widely respected in Pakistan for never compromising on his principles.[1][3]
Senior journalist Hamid Mir also considers Sufism to have played a major role in his political stances against dictatorship.[4]
Habib Jalib was born as Habib Ahmad on 24 March 1928 in a village near Hoshiarpur, Punjab, British India.[1] He migrated to Pakistan after the partition of India.[1][5][6] Later he worked as a proofreader for Daily ImrozeofKarachi.[1] 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.[1][7]
Jalib could never reconcile with the dictatorship of Ayub Khan. So when Ayub enforced his tailor-made constitution in the country in 1962. A former prime minister Chaudhry Muhammad Ali likened Ayub Khan to the Clock TowerofLyallpur, visible from all directions.
Jalib wrote Dastur,[1][5] verses of which include:
Original Urdu
English Transliteration
English translation
Devnagri
دیپ جس کا محلات ہی میں جلے
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
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 PahlaviofIran. 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 Zanjeer Pehan Kar Bhi Kiya Jaata Hai (The dance of the chains).[9]
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.[9]
" 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.[9] This film song also became very popular.
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.
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:[11]
ٹوٹا ہے کہاں اس کا جادو
اک نعرہ بنا ہے اس کا لہو
ثابت ہوا دھڑکن دھڑکن پر وہ شخص حکومت کرتا تھا
لڑتا تھا وہ اپنے جیسوں سے ہم سے تو محبت کرتا تھا
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,[12] in which he asked how he could write darkness as Zia ( Zia literally means lightinUrdu).[9]
ظلمت کو ضیا، صر صر کو صبا، بندے کو خدا کیا لکھنا
Darkness as light, Hot desert wind as a morning breeze
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:
Laal band remastered and remixed the revolutionary poem "Dastoor" in Habib Jalib's voice and included it in their 2009 album Umeed-e-Sahar.[1]
In April 2014, an event was organized in Islamabad, Pakistan to pay tributes to Shayer-i-Awam (the people's poet), Habib Jalib. Many Pakistani celebrities including the noted journalist Mujahid Barelvi, Zehra Nigah and Taimur Rahman took the stage and paid tributes to him.[8]
On 23 March 2009, President of Pakistan awarded the Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Order of Excellence) award (posthumously) for the legendary poet, which was received by his daughter, Tahira Habib Jalib.[3]
^ abcdefShahram Azhar (13 March 2015). "Remembering Jalib". The Friday Times newspaper. Archived from the original on 25 April 2024. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
British Indian (1928–1947)
Pakistani (1947–1993)
