Ahmad faraz

 AHMAD FARAZ

Ahmed Faraz was a greatest modern Urdu poet of last century. His real name was Syed Ahmad Shah and Faraz was his pseudonym “Takhallus”. He has been considered equal to “Faiz Ahmed Faiz” and grasps a unique position as one of the best poet of current periods with fine style of writing. He has very simple style of writing that every one can easily understand his poetry. Ahmed Faraz was ethnically Hindko speaking Pashtoon and got education of Urdu and Persian at Peshawar University and later performed duties of lecturer at Peshawar University. He was born on 14th January, 1931 in Kohat, N.W.F.P Pakistan. His father name was Syed Muhammad Shah Barq and brother name was Syed Masood Kausar.

He expressed his feelings about an incident when his father purchased new clothes for him and proved that the new clothes had no significant for him. He Said that:

Layen hain sab ke liye kapre sale se

Layen hain hamare liye kambal jail se

(He purchase clothes for everyone from the sale)

(He purchase a blanket from jail for me)


He was too weak in mathematics and geography and could not remember anything about maps and roads. He was very straight forward about politics and during Zia-ul-Haq era he was arrested for narrating certain poems at “Mushaira” which criticize military rule. He endured 6 years in Britain, Canada and Europe and he was initially appointed as chairman Academy of Letters and later chairperson of Islamabad National Book Foundation for many years.

He was awarded by different national and international awards like “Hilal-e-Imtiaz” in 2004 for his classical achievements but in 2006 he returned this award after becoming frustrated with government and its policies. After this he issued a statement that,

“My conscious will not forgive me if I silently be spectator of the sad events around us. The least thing which I can do on my behalf is to let the dictatorship know where it stands in the eyes of the concerned citizens whose basic rights have been usurped. I am doing this by returning the Hilal-e-Imtiaz (civil) forthwith and refuse to associate myself in any way with the regime.”

In his last days of life Faraz stand against terrorism through his poetry. Faraz wad died due to kidney failure in local Islamabad Hospital on 25th August, 2008 and his funeral was brought out on evening of 26th August by many enthusiast and government officials at H-8 Graveyard, Islamabad, Pakistan.