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Saturday, November 3, 2012

Pehlay Hi Apna Kon Tha Ae Dost; an Urdu Ghazal by Habib 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 “Pehlay Hi Apna Kon Tha Ae Dost” (Urdu: پہلے ہی اپنا کون تھا اے دوست) a beautiful Urdu Ghazal (غزل) by Habib Jalib. He remembers his friend Ahmad Riaz in this Ghazal and titles it as "Ahmad Riaz ki Yaad Main" (Urdu: احمد ریاض کی یاد میں) (English: In the Memories of Ahmad Riaz). You may disagree, as I do, with many of his views but you will, for sure, like his poetry.

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