Zulmat Ko Zia Sar Sar Ko Saba Banday Ko Khuda Kia Likhna; 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 “Zulmat Ko Zia Sar Sar Ko Saba Banday Ko Khuda Kia Likhna” (Urdu: ظلمت کو ضیا صر صر کو صبا بندے کو خدا کیا لکھنا) (English:Darkness as light, Hot desert wind as a morning breeze, how can I write a human as God) a beautiful Urdu poem (نظم) by Habib Jalib, in which he criticizes the dictatorship of General Muhammad Zia Ul Haq.

The word Zia, mentioned in this poem (which is part of the name of President Muhammad Zia ul Haq Shaheed) laterally means light and Jalib describe him, or his regime, as darkness and asks how he could right darkness as light?

This poem is one of the most famous poems of Habib Jalib. Many leftists mention this one even after 25 years of Zia's demise.

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