Bradford, UK:

A meeting of South Asian Peoples Forum UK was held here in a local restaurant in remembrance of the eminent progressive Urdu Poet Ahmed Faraz. It was chaired by Prof. Nazir Tabassum and conducted by Khalid Saeed Qureshi, both coordinators of the FORUM. Those who participated as special guests were Comrade Avtar Sadiq, Secretary General of the Association of British Communists and Ambassador Arif Kamal, a Faculty Member of National Defence University Islamabad.

Apart from various speakers two papers were presented, one by Engineer Pervez Fateh, a coordinator of SAPF UK and the other by eminent Bradford journalist and fiction writer Mr. Maqsood Ellahie Sheikh, Sitara-e-Imtiaz. Both the writers of these papers paid glowing tributes to the great poet by appreciating his poetry and enumerating his services to the working classes by writing profusely against the military dictatorship and the feudal and capitalist classes combine, caring a fig even for courting arrest, persecution and banishment from the homeland.

Comrade Avtar Sadiq, in his speech said that Ahmed Faraz was a continuation of the Progressive writers Association that was established in 1936 after the Great Recession and its founders were Sajjad Zaheer, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Sahibzada Mahmood-uz-Zafar and Munshi Prem Chand. He said that like the great Recession of 1931, the capitalist system is once again crumbling. Based as it is on the exploitation of the working classes, no amount of injection of billions of pounds into its ailing body can relieve it. It is our duty that we must not spare any efforts in exposing its anti-people character and thus discord it for ever. Commenting on the recent terrorist attacks on Munbai, he said that there are quite a few miscreants both in India and Pakistan who are perpetually creating hurdles in the way of normalization of relations between the two neighbours. We must make conscious efforts to thwart their acts of subversion and sabotage.

Hafeez Joher and Mumtaz Awan recited their poems and paid tributes to Ahmed Faraz. Mohsin Zulfiqar, an eminent educationist presented English translation of Faraz’s famous poem “Mahasra” (The Siege) in a very impressive style. Comrade Serwan Singh of Indian Workers Association expressed solidarity with the masses of South Asia for whose cause great poets like Ahmed Faraz have been projecting daringly. Ali Adaalat, a champion of the cause of Kashmiri diaspora spoke eloquently raising the issue of Kashmiri identity in Europe, America, Middle East and other parts of the world. He demanded unambiguously that when Kashmiris are neither Pakistanis nor Indians, then why are they not accorded their true identity in the world?

Dr Mukhtar-ud-Din Ahmed Mukhtar, an eminent poet and writer, while speaking to the audience, suggested a valuable amendment in the RESOLUTION presented before the house by Prof. Nazir Tabassum, condemning the recent terrorist attacks on Mumbai. His suggestion was thankfully acknowledged and incorporated in the amended version of the Resolution.

Others who spoke on the occasion included Dyan Singh Bhari (President Indian Workers Association UK) Asif Nasim Rathore, Ms. Shehzana Hashmi, Ms. Mubarak Iqbal, Ms. Sakina Zafar Tabinda, Raja Rashid Bhatti, Ahmed Nizami, Yasir, Trade Unionist Lala Younis, Tariq Mahmood, Mian Mubashar Alim.

Mr. Aslam Lone, a journalist and writer, travelled all the way from Birmingham to participate in this event along with Mohammad Idress Mir.

Conspicuous among the speakers were Karal Dellas, an English poet, Peace and Stop THE WAR ACTIVIST, Bruce Barnes, a progressive English poet and writer, Mr. Garth, leader of the Alliance for Green Socialism. All of them joined their South Asian friends in paying respects to the famous Urdu Poet Ahmed Faraz.

The Resolution, duly amended, of condemnation of Mumbai terrorist attacks was passed unanimously by the house. At the end, Mr. Arif Kamal, one of the specialist guests, presented to Prof. Nazir Tabassum “Chains to lose” a biography of Dada Amir Haider Khan, veteran communist leader of South Asia. The meeting ended with the observation of two minutes silence to pay respects to Ahmed Faraz. (EOM)

Pervez Fateh Co-ordinator - South Asian Peoples Forum UK

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Tags: ahmed faraz, SAPF, Urdu poet