14 August; a Beautiful Urdu Poem by Jabib Jalib

Habib Jalib

Habib Jalib (Urdu: حبیب جالب) (Real name: Habib Ahmad) (Urdu: حبیب احمد) was a Pakistani revolutionary Urdu poet, left-wing activist and politician who opposed martial law, authoritarianism and state oppression. 

Jalib 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 National Awami Party (NAP), he joined the NAP. His views led to imprisonment. 

His poetry shows that, being a communist, he was pro Russia and China. He wrote many poems and Ghazal against USA and in many of his poems he even mentioned Ronald Reagan, the than President of USA, and showed his dislike to him. 

In the following enjoy reading “14 August” (Urdu: چودہ اگست) (English: 14th August) [the independence day of Pakistan] a beautiful Urdu poem (نظم) by Habib Jalib, in which he expresses his feelings about what he had expected from the newly independent Muslims, though he wanted a secular, state and what was the outcome after many years.

You may, as I do, disagree with many of his views but you will like his poetry.