Authors From Pakistan

"Talent is already here. It just needs to be channeled, We need to focus less on statistics and more on structure — the kind that helps youth not just enter the system but evolve within it"

"Toxic Group Toxic Life"

"What we’re seeing now is a push factor. Talented professionals are losing faith in local opportunities. If we want to retain them, we need policy consistency and incentives, not short-term fixes and extra tax burdens."

"We have the talent; what we lack are the channels to turn that talent into something tangible."

"Your work is the lifeline of your career, be glad that it’s moving"

"Degrees are not translating into skills, and that’s a systemic failure."

"A decade later, long after democratic rule was restored, she was still denouncing the power of Pakistan’s military and intelligence establishments and the façade of civilian control. In a lecture at Oxford University in 2017, she charged that “the military controls the country through the deep state”, while “the politicians are playing at democracy, hanging onto the cliff with their claws. And then the boot comes.”"

"For decades, Asma bravely fought for the most disadvantaged people in Pakistan, often at great personal risk. She championed the cause of women, children, bonded labourers, religious minorities, journalists, the disappeared, and so many others. She confronted injustice wherever she saw it. Salil Shetty, Secretary General of Amnesty International."

"One of Asma Jahangir’s most determined struggles has been against the unlawful and cruel practice of enforced disappearances. It was an issue she addressed in her last public speech just three days before her death at the “Pashtun Long March” in Islamabad. Over recent months, there has been a sharp increase in the number of enforced disappearances across Pakistan, stretching beyond conflict zones deep into the heart of its main cities. Asma Jahangir’s human rights work went far beyond Pakistan. She served as a UN Special Rapporteur three times – on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, on freedom of religion or belief, and, most recently, on Iran."

"Asma Jahangir was a giant of a woman who spent her entire life fighting injustice, be it based on politics, socioeconomic differences, religion, or gender. She has left behind a still-fractured country that needs her now more than ever."

"For her relentless campaigning against laws that discriminate against women and for continuously speaking truth to power, Jahangir was threatened, assaulted in public and placed under house arrest. Besides her work in Pakistan, Asma Jahangir has promoted human rights internationally through her long service with the United Nations. She died of a heart attack at the age of 66 but remains a great source of inspiration for human rights defenders beyond Pakistani borders."

"Atta has made some great contributions in the print and electronic media, but his main strength is columns and article writing in different newspapers and on different subjects. His writings clearly express the feeling of freedom and written many articles on social inequalities as well. He has bravely taken a stance against the dictatorships many times. He also has done a great job as an Ambassador of Pakistan in Norway and Thailand. He participated in many literary events as a chief guest in other countries. He also participated in many conferences and represented Pakistan and expressed his expert views on Urdu Literature and fine arts. He is a true inspiration for young columnists and poets."

"ہمیشہ دیر کر دیتا ہوں"

"Qasmi fired the first shot at himself saying, "if someone compliments me, it feels bad, if not, it feels worse. Referring to workaholics, "If anyone says that I have not seen a jinnee, let him see Ahmad Shah. He is such a person that no-confidence motion has been moved against him for so and now he wants to be by a riverside, with a cool breeze blowing, beautiful maidens pouring glasses of wine and singing an alluring melody on soothing tunes of musical instruments, 'it will be great to have all this, except you in the scene.'"

"There are many Urdu poets and writers in Pakistan, but Amjad Islam Amjad is a famous one as he significantly written several essays, columns but his main focus was poems and poetry. کبھی رقص شام بہار میں اسے دیکھتے"

"The poet averred that he lived in the hope that prosperity would visit his country. He had beautiful dreams for Pakistan before moving away from his native Hoshiarpur to live and settle in his adopted country. He regretted that we have not been able to build a prosperous homeland."

"This is the biggest tragedy, and however much we express our anguish, it does not diminish. If you want to know about the state of the Pakistan-India relationship, you must find out how long it takes for you to get an Indian or a Pakistani visa. If the relationship is good, visas are immediately issued; if not, then it takes days or months. This is the litmus test that people have devised. The visa office is the best barometer. This is absolutely wrong. I think people should meet each other. We have to accept the reality, whether we like it or not. The truth is that there are two separate nations. Personal likes and dislikes are a different thing. If we accept this, then we will be able to proceed. I am an eternal optimist. I feel — and it is my conviction — that because of people-to-people contacts and because of international pressure we will be forced to draw closer."

"His poetry encircles a wide array of themes emitting from nostalgia, mythology, existential angst, seasons, surrealism, melancholy, starry nights and summer mornings. Niazi’s spontaneity was a class of its own and is admired in literary circles all over. Elements of innocence and truthfulness are conceivably the highlights of Niazi’s 13 Urdu and three Punjabi collections of works. He was awarded both the Pride of Performance and Sitara-e-Imtiaz by the Government of Pakistan in recognition of the mark he left on Urdu and Punjabi literature."

"Critics have done injustice to poets by labelling them as revolutionary, spiritual, philosophical, psychological or orthodox, Amjad Islam observed. To me there are only two types of poets – good poets and bad ones."

"Hamid Khan excused himself from accepting the chairmanship in the prevailing political situation and hoped that the president and Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa would ensure the rule of law and supremacy of the constitution in the country."

"It appears that either he did not know or did not care to note that the provisions of the constitution of 1956 were similar to those of the Indian constitution of 1950 which has been a success despite the greater complexities of the Indian union with dozens of ethnicities and languages and hundreds of dialects. What right had he to give his verdict on parliamentary democracy without even having tried it."

"Principles"

"Allama Iqbal"

"Independent"

"Imran Khan"

"Ijaz Hussain Batalvi"

"It's a matter of regret, he said, that the PTI founder and his former foreign minister were not allowed to hire lawyers of their choices. A great deal of injustice was being done to them, he deplored. There is an appalling situation of human rights in the country and steps should be taken to prevent the violation of fundamental rights."

"By allowing the announcement of the decision by the military courts, the Supreme Court has let us down. He stated that the lawyers did not consider military courts as legitimate and did not accept their decisions, the decision to allow military trial verdicts was a stain on the Supreme Court. The military courts were only meant for trying military personnel and taking civilians’ trials to military courts was unconstitutional and so-called constitutional bench was a product of the 26th Amendment."

"Hamid Khan declared that the lawyers' movement against the 26th Amendment had commenced and would ultimately overturn the amendment and emphasized that their struggle was gaining momentum. The Supreme Court, asserting that certain individuals within the judiciary were supporting the establishment. The Chief Justice's acceptance of the position has greatly disappointed us and 26th Amendment was passed without proper parliamentary awareness."

"Muhammad Ali Jinnah"

"I fear not the passing of youth if the Beloved desert me not; Youth withers and loses bloom without the sustenance of Love... Saith Farid: Sugar and candy, Sweets and honey, rich milk– All these Lord, are sweet; but nothing to Try devotees so sweet as Thou."

"Farid, time was when these frail thighs scoured over desert and hill; Now, feeble with age even the prayer-jug looks as though lying miles away."

"I am all afire I am pain all over. I twist my hands in despair, For I find not my Love. Annoyed art Thou with me, But' tis my own fault, I perceived not the Truth of Thee; I have wasted away my youth, And now can only regret and repent. Rise, O Farid, do your ablutions, Say your morning prayers. The head that bows not to the Lord Should be cut apart from the trunk."

"Lord, give it not to me to Supplicate favours at another's door; Should such be Thy will, Take then life from this body."

"No night passes when my sorrow-stricken heart does not bleed, No day I spend that does not completely divest me of honour, Never in my life did I drink a draught of water in peace, Which did not irrigate the dry earth through the channels of my eyes."

"The late Ijaz Husain Batalvi was a multi-dimensional personality — a short story writer, critic, poet, essayist, broadcaster, barrister and a teacher at Law College, Lahore. His literary career was spread over a span of half a century but surprisingly, he never published his work in a book form during his lifetime. Intizar Husain, in his article ‘Lazzat ki talash mein’, once asked him why it was so and the humble Ijaz sahib replied, ‘Mein koi sikkaband adeeb nahi hoon. Apni koi adbi haseeyat manwani maqsood nahin hai. Tabiyat idhar aaye likh liya, nahi aayee na likha. Asal mein main aik weekend writer hoon.’ (‘I am not some sort of stamp approved Litterateur. My objective is not to get an approval of my literary standing as such. When the feeling comes I write, if it doesn’t come I don’t write. Actually, I consider myself a weekend writer’.)"

"Mr. Batalvi agree with Mr. Muahaam Ali Jinnah Qauid-e-Azam who beautifully elucidated in his quotation, "Islam established democracy, peace and justice to safeguard the rights of the oppressed" ."

"A well-known heckler would waive his hand vigorously in every class with cries of 'Sarr Sarr. Important Swal 'Yes, my boy' Mr Batalvi would yield. "Sarr, if my next door neighbour's sister is named Yasmin and I called my house Yasmin Cottage, can her brother take me to court and sue me for damages"?"

"Ijaz Hussain Baralvi was a famous lawyer and author. He practiced law in Lahore and was well known in literary and political circles. He wrote an essay which was also delivered as an address to a conference in 1974. This Urdu essay is translated into English by Mohammad Akmal Makhdum. Pakistan has suffered imposition of martial laws repeatedly since its birth as a nation. First martial law was declared in 1958 that lasted 10 years. Subsequent martial laws saw political and democratic institutions destroyed, elected leaders murdered and civil liberties trampled upon. Rule of law and freedoms of assembly and expression were suppressed and courts of law oppressed. Political corruption increased and state civil services were corrupted. Social and collective mental impact are discussed in some detail with a wider view of history."

"He did not deliver a lecture; he gave a performance. He viewed the teacher as the "principal actor in a one-act play." During one of his remarkable lectures on torts, Aftab Gul and I spontaneously responded with wah wah."

"When I first arrived in London in 1953, my friend, Ijaz Hussain Batalvi whom I hadn’t seen for some years, had become a dandified Londoner. He had had all the required dinners at Lincoln’s Inn and was about to enter the Bar. He was now living, in what Roger Fry, called"

"Mr. Batalvi never compromised on principles and always raised voice for the rights of the bar members."

"My boy, he may not take you to court but would certainly take out your front teeth, with the blessings of the entire neighbourhood." Mr Batalvi bought a new blue colour Ford Cortina. On Aftab Gul's daring (so I still claim), I climbed on its roof to perform the 'twist' amidst loud clapping."

"In a case of bail which Mr Ijaz Hussain Batalvi was opposing, a very eminent attorney, while persuading the court to agree that the persons seeking bail would not abscond if allowed bail nor would interfere with the prosecution, vehemently urged."

"Here in Pakistan, there is a need to appoint a police man with every person to moniter him as everybody is compromised to indulge in corruption."

"At the time of independence, Punjab had inherited 19 jails, whereas 21 more prisons had been commissioned after 1947. It was also at this Attock Fort that the trial of various officers of the country’s armed forces was held in 1973 and then in 1985."

"It is easy to bear a person with empty stomach but it's very difficult to bear an empty mind person."

"Maybe we now live in interesting times when they don’t make great men any more. I am also reminded of another memorable personality, Ijaz Hussain Batalvi. He was not just an ordinary barrister but one who had practiced in England as well as Pakistan. Being at the helm of his career during the 1970s, he became a prosecution lawyer against Z A Bhutto in the Kasuri murder case which resulted in his social boycott by fellow writers. Many amongst the legal community may not be aware of the fact that he was also a fiction writer. The community of intellectuals did not like the fact that he had represented the government."

"In the Jail, there is a Government supplied radio, and I hear music and news occasionally. My time, however, passes in my pastime; I live by myself, alone."

"All of you please avoid smoking, drinking habits as venomous things. By keeping away from them you will be happy and healthy."