Faiz Ahmed Faiz, whose poem is being used in anti-CAA demos, has a very interesting life story -that most Hindus r possibly not aware of. In order to understand him, we do need to go beyond the usually constructed image of "communist/progressive Muslim intellectuals" of Pakistan
Faiz's first training was under Maulvi Mir-Sialkoti - in Arabic/Urdu/Farsi& Quran. Later his dad moved him to Scotch Mission School. He became close to Allama Iqbal, and a close friend to Sheikh Abdullah, a connection to Kashmiri jihad that wd loom large in his life.
Sheikh Abdullah apparently presided over his marriage to British Communist Alys George, at Srinagar, in the mansion of the Taseers (Salman Taseer's dad). Whats interesting is that Faiz joined the army in '42, and assigned to the "leftist" commander Akbar Khan. He was promoted.
Faiz resigned after 1948 Kashmir campaign of Pakistan. Its been suggested by pro-Pak kashmir jihadi voices that his much cited poem shubh-e-azaadi was started in Lahore& ended in Srinagar & its reading shd therefore reflect Faiz's support for "enslaved" Kashmiris on "Hindu" side.
The Kashmir connection becomes more significant with his alleged role in alleged "coup" attempt by Akbar Khan in 1951. Akbar Khan, led a unit for "unconventional warfare" in Kashmir following partition. (N. Askari, "Curious Case of the Rawalpindi Conspirators," Dawn, 19/6/87)
Sajjad Zaheer, a committed communist, went to Pakistan frm India, in 1948, and stayed underground as apparently there was a warrant for his arrest. Faiz was the key to connect Zaheer to Akbar Khan, & even though reluctant, Zaheer& Faiz agreed to a larger meeting of army officers.
the "communist" side decided they were too weak to mount such a coup, and mil officers also waned, hence supposedly the whole group dispersed. As expected, one of the meeting is suspected to hv betrayed& a large grp, including Faiz - was arrested.
the motivation of "leftist" Akbar Khan's move for coup is given as his frustration with the Pak gov for not sustaining/unable-to-sustain continued "unconventional warfare" ag India in J&K - & reinforces possibility of Faiz's desires for Kashmir, and his close link to Abdullah.
those interested can go through the fiasco over the trial of Faiz, from the initial buildup to summary execution to de facto nullification of the act under which the special tribunal was constituted to commutation of jail term to exile to London.
Being close to British Communist Party, in whatever ways, seems to hv been helpful in those days on both sides of the border. Communists who didnt hv that proximity, seem to hv been picked off easier by respective states.
Muslim communists (in an interview Faiz apparently denied being a communist on a pithy arg of non-membership of a party that cdnt legally exist in Pak) - have a more complicated trajectory than Hindu communists.
My readings of Muslim communists' lives suggest an Islamization of communism or more accurately reinforcing imagined/real commonalities between Islam& communism rather than rejection of Islam and its replacement with Marxian/communist perceptions.
