Ajmal Khattak KAMAL-e-..

Ajmal Khattak (KAMAL-e-FUN) and his own School of Thought?

In 2006, we were in Kabul in connection with the 80th birthday celebrations of the legendary poet, journalist and writer, Ajmal Khattak. One morning I asked the renowned poet Saif-ur-Rahman Saleem (a contemporary of Khattak Sahib), what is the uniqueness of Ajmal Khattak? He smiled as usual and said, “I can’t forget this and since then I have a great respect for this man. I was setting with Dost Muhammad Khan Kamil at his BalaKhana when a young boy wearing a khaki sheet covering his chin entered the room. Dost Muhammad Khan looked at him and said! O’ boy! Should I arrange a safe exit for you or you really want to die? The boy said! Kamil Saib! If I ran away, my cause will become the cause of an outlaw a criminal. No. I would not do that. These were the words of young Ajmal Khattak back in 1945/46 when un-bailable arrest warrants had been issued against him as a consequence of a poem he narrated in a meeting. This was the start and after this, he suffered and only suffered. Even at the age of 82, Ajmal Khattak meets everyone with a smiling face and never brought even a word of complaint in spite of all the sufferings he went through. During his 6-decade long struggle, he shouted twice but very loudly. First he shouted more than 40 years ago, it was the "call for self-esteem" (da Ghairat chagha) and it was such a sharp and loud shriek that not only shook the entire Pakhtun belt at that time but its tremors are still felt. Just after publication, this book was banned by both the Pakistani and Afghan governments but this call was so loud and forceful than none could stop it reaching the nation. In spite of the great revolutionary thoughts communicated through this 230 pages book, it was never celebrated publicly. The book has been translated into English by Dr. Sher Zaman Taizi and is still unpublished. Ajmal Khattak has many books in poetry and verse but this was the book which changed the direction of "Pashto poetry". Many poems were written on similar themes but did not carry the force which has been the uniqueness of Ajmal Khattak’s pen-power. This book founded a New School of Thought of "Pushto Poetry for Oppressed and Distressed Humanity" but neither the book nor its author had ever been rewarded in the way they deserved. The force and popularity of this book made Ajmal Khattak, the second greatest poet in Khattak tribe after Khushal Khan Khattak (Baba-i-Pakhto- the father of Pakhto) and earned him a distinct and unique literary standing among the five greatest Pashto poets of all times namely Khushaal Baba, Rahman Baba, Hamza Baba, Abdul Ghani Khan and Ajmal Khattak of thousands years old Pukhto literary history. That shout of self-esteem was so universal, emotional and theme-full that neither the imprisonment of its author nor the several decades-long bans on the book could fade its strength even after the lapse of more than 40 years. The poetry of this book is so unique that it is still waiting for its match. People refer to Ajmal Khattak as a nationalist poet but unfortunately none bothers to understand his message as he says: che nasha da istibad laree pa sar ki maata yau dai ka maghul dai ka afghan (whoever carries the sense of arrogance in mind they are the same to me whether s/he is Afghan or Moghul) His poetry is evergreen, his poetry can fit into every situation of helplessness and desperation, it is universal, it is for humanity, it is great. Whoever nominated him for the Kamal-e-fun Award deserve every appreciation and has made a very just judgement. I have just copied a single poem - بېرته شاته