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This post about renowned poet and activist, Habib Jalib, is mostly from Wikipedia. As stated on the website, he was a Marxist-Leninist and aspired to the ideals of Communism. He was a member of the Communist Party of Pakistan; later when the Communist Party was banned and started working under the banner of the National Awami Party, Jalib joined the NAP. He expressed his beliefs openly and paid heavily for them. Habib Jalib spent most of his life in Jail and the rest on the streets.

Due to his daring revolt against the order of the day (in Ayub’s era), Jalib was banned from official media but he remained undeterred. He rather started a tirade against the tyranny with more resolution. It reached its zenith when Fatima Jinnah decided to contest elections against Ayub Khan. All democratic forces rallied around her and at her election meetings, Jalib used to recite his fiery poems in front of an emotionally-charged crowd. His most popular poem at that time was:

Maan kay paon talay jannat hai idhar aa jao

(The paradise is under the feet of the mother. So come into her fold).

And here I am, sharing a beautiful recitation of one of his famous write-ups: “Main ne Uss se Ye Kaha”