Habib Jalib

Habib Jalib
Portrait of Habib Jalib
Portrait of Habib Jalib
Native name
حبیب جالب
BornHabib Ahmad Khan
(1928-03-24)24 March 1928
Hoshiarpur, Punjab, British India (present-day Punjab, India)
Died13 March 1993(1993-03-13) (aged 64)
Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Occupation
  • Poet
  • political activist
Language
Nationality British Indian (1928–1947)
 Pakistani (1947–1993)
Subject
Literary movementProgressive Writers' Movement
Notable awardsNigar Awards
Nishan-i-Imtiaz
ChildrenJamila Noor Jalib
Tahira Habib Jalib
Nasir Jalib

Habib Jalib[a] (Punjabi pronunciation: [ɦəbib d͡ʒaːləb]; 24 March 1928 – 13 March 1993) was a Pakistani revolutionary poet and left-wing political activist who opposed martial law, authoritarianism, military dictatorship and state oppression. He wrote several poems in Punjabi and Urdu and was referred to as the "poet of the masses" by his contemporary Faiz Ahmad Faiz.[1][2]

He opposed military coups and government administrators and was duly jailed several times for this stance. He is widely respected in Pakistan for never compromising on his principles.[1][3]

Journalist Hamid Mir believes Sufism played a major role in Jalib's political stance against dictatorship.[4]


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  1. ^ a b "Remembering revolutionary poet Habib Jalib on his 24th death anniversary". Dawn newspaper. 12 March 2017. Archived from the original on 16 December 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  2. ^ Faiz Ahmed Faiz's quote as a tribute to Habib Jalib in an article Retrieved 25 April 2024
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Dawn was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Farooqi, Khalid Hameed (21 October 2020). "'Habib Jalib's life a beacon for today's poets and writers'". Geo TV News website. Retrieved 16 July 2023.