Pakistan: Revolutionary poet Habib Jalib's daughter runs taxi to earn livelihood

Tahira said that she does not feel any shame in running the taxi as she is the daughter of Habib Jalib, who never compromised on principles till his death.

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New Delhi: In what can be termed as a sad turn of events, Pakistan's revolutionary poet Habib Jalib's daughter today runs private taxi in Lahore for the livelihood of the family. Pakistan’s Geo TV reported that Tahira Habib Jalib’s mother's stipend was stopped in 2014 by the Punjab government. Tahira, who is a resident of Mustafa Town in Lahore and lives with her sisters and their children, is serving as a captain of private taxi service in the city to earn their livelihood, the channel reported. As per the report, the Lahore Electric Supply Company sent an electricity bill amounting to Rs 75,000 to Tahira On Wednesday. "I am the sole bread-winner of the family and I drive a car to earn money," Tahira was quoted as saying by the channel. "The car that I am driving is brought on loan," she added. Tahira said that she does not feel any shame in running the taxi as she is the daughter of Habib Jalib, who never compromised on principles till his death. She said the monthly stipend of her mother was Rs 25,000, which was stopped in 2014 by the then government led by chief minister Shehbaz Sharif. The government of Punjab used to pay the stipend from the quota of the poets. She urged the government to resume the stipend and introduce poor-friendly system so that the poor earn their livelihood without difficulty. Referring to political leaders who use her father's poetry in their political messages, Tahira was quoted as saying "These leaders use my father's verses in their speeches but they do not take notice of the troubles faced by his children." Habib Jalib, born on March 24, 1928, in Hoshiarpur village in undivided India, migrated to Pakistan after partition and worked as a proof-reader for an Urdu daily. A progressive writer, he became the voice against then military dictators - General Ayub Khan and General Zia-ul Haq and was hailed as the people's poet and was jailed multiple times by General Zia for writing poems against his rule. He was once arrested and beaten up by police for reciting poetry against the Zia regime at a protest march by women activists towards Lahore High Court. (With inputs from PTI)