Ahfazur Rahman

Ahfaz-ur-Rahman was a Pakistani journalist, writer and poet who fought for press freedom. He advocated for the rights of journalists during both military dictatorships and civilian governments. Rahman died on 12 April 2020 in Karachi, Pakistan.

Early life and education

Rahman was born in Jabalpur, British India, on 4 April 1942. He migrated to Pakistan with his family in 1947. During his secondary education, he won prizes for his writings. He drew inspiration from Sahir Ludhyanvi and Krishan Chander, who were stalwarts of the Progressive Writers' Movement.

As a student, he became a leader within the left-wing National Students Federation. He participated in the 1962 and 1964 student uprisings against the regime of General Ayub Khan. In 1969, he moved to Beijing, China, to work for the Foreign Languages Press during the Cultural Revolution.

Career

Rahman returned to Pakistan at the end of 1972 and began his activism. He organized movements for press freedom during the dictatorial regime of General Zia ul Haq. When the Daily Musawaat was banned in 1977, he became one of three journalists who went underground to continue the struggle. In December 1977, he was the first journalist arrested in a batch of protesters in Karachi. He was later arrested again between 30 April 1978 and 30 May 1978, which resulted in his imprisonment at Camp Jail in Lahore. After being released, authorities barred him from entering the Punjab province for six months.

Economic hardship followed his activism because major newspapers blacklisted him. He found employment in 1985 at the Foreign Language Press in Beijing, where he had previously worked. Upon returning to Pakistan in 1993, he joined Daily Jang as a magazine editor.

In 2002, Rahman was elected unopposed as the President of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists. He used this position to protest against media owners who failed to implement the Wage Board Award. His outspoken nature eventually led to his termination from service. He later joined the Urdu newspaper Daily Express, where he wrote a Sunday column titled "Black and White" (Syaah o Safaid).

Rahman remained active in political protests throughout his life. In November 2007, he was among the first journalists arrested during protests against the Musharraf government's media bans. He also worked to revitalize the Karachi Press Club. In February 2008, he achieved a literary milestone when four of his books were launched on the same day at the Arts Council Karachi.

His literary contributions include several notable works. He published a poetry collection titled Zinda Hai Zindagi, which was launched in November 2013. In 2015, he compiled Sab Say Bari Jang, a book documenting the 1977-78 press freedom movement. His other writings include the collection Jang Jari Rahegi and 30 short stories published in literary magazines.

Awards and recognition

The Rahman family established the Ahfaz ur Rahman Award for Courage and Freedom of Expression in 2022. This award was created in collaboration with the Ahfaz ur Rahman Award Organizing Committee and the Karachi Arts Council. The inaugural lifetime achievement award went to writer and journalist Amar Jaleel. The contemporary award was presented to journalist Asma Shirazi for her principled reporting.