ISLAMABAD – Habib Jalib’s poetry influenced all sections of society and gained appreciation not only from critics but also from general readers, labourers and activists, Professor Fateh Muhammad Malik said on Tuesday. Malik was presiding over the “Habib Jalib Seminar” organised by the Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) in connection with the death anniversary of Habib Jalib.
Professor Yousaf Hassan, Akhtar Usman, Dr Ravish Nadeem, Jalil Aali, Shakeel Akhtar, Gul Bahadur Yousafzai and Abdaal Bela paid tribute to Jalib for his firm stand against dictatorship. “Jalib was a brave and courageous solider of the struggle for freedom and he always raised his voice against oppression by dictators,” said Yousaf Hassan. He said Jalib had a special place among the major poets of Urdu, especially his ghazal had elements of mature and refined art which would keep him alive for a long time.
Jalil Aali said Jalib was a man of principle and ideology. He never compromised on principles and spent a life full of struggle, said Aali. Habib Jalib’s poetry reflected the aspirations and problems of the common man and was successful in conveying these messages to the ruling class, said Dr Ravish Nadeem.