Missing Poet!
Following Ahmed Farhad Shah’s recent criticism of the military on social media during inflation protests in Azad Kashmir, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has asked the defense secretary to provide a report on the poet and journalist’s alleged kidnapping by Pakistani intelligence agencies (Arab News Pakistan, 2024). Following the filing of a plea for Shah’s recovery by his wife, Ain Naqvi, several officials, including the Senior Superintendent of Police and Assistant Attorney General, attended the court hearing. Imaan Zainab Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha defended their client. By the next hearing, the defense secretary was ordered by the court to provide a concise report outlining Shah’s kidnapping circumstances. Due to their denials, Pakistan’s military and intelligence services have been accused of unlawfully detaining dissenters, a charge that has gained attention due to this instance. Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, a famous politician from Islamabad, praised the court’s firm decision on this matter (Arab News Pakistan, 2024).
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Reference: Arab News Pakistan. (2024, May 16). Islamabad court puts spotlight on ‘abduction’ of poet critical of army amid Azad Kashmir protests. https://arab.news/zmn42
‘De Profundis’
Poet Ahmad Farhad, who lives in Rawalpindi and is originally from Bagh, Azad Kashmir, has vanished under suspicious circumstances. His absence has prompted a notice from the Islamabad High Court for an explanation. A situation like this is not only unfair, but it also goes against the fundamental principles of any state or community. I beseech for forgiveness and pray that he will be safe and back soon. Poets should be allowed to think, create, and convey their truths freely through their poetry, and singers should be allowed to use their songs of love, joy, and pain to bring those poems to life without any constraint. They are the heart and soul of a nation. As a free citizen of an independent country, my soul feels suffocated today. This smothering will not solve our problems; on the contrary, it will damage the very soul of our nation and cause irreversible loss. Do not silence the voices that contribute to our richer emotional and cultural environment. Rather, let us treasure and safeguard them, as they are the assets and core of our shared national identity. As a nation, we must ensure that poets compose their poetry freely without any fear of intimidation. Poets strengthen a nation; they do not weaken nations. We must ensure that poets do not go missing. Strong states protect their poets and thinkers. Unlike sycophant clowns, who can only flatter, a nation’s true strength lives and breathes in those audacious souls who dare to speak the truth. The state needs to be wary of people who do not speak the truth, but it should not fear those who do. Pain should disappear, not the poor poets. Free the (missing) poet, please!
