Letter 04: Maqbool Bhat to Dr. Farooq Haider
Kot Lakhpat Jail,
Lahore 15 September 1972
Esteemed brother Asalamualaikum,
It has been quite some time since I received your letter. But I could not answer because of the Court holidays, and a friend who had to leave for Rawalpindi couldn’t do so. I sincerely apologize for the delay in my response.
Your concern for the intensified strictness and the ever-increasing limitations in this prison is appreciable. But you need not care. This prison is after all a prison only. And as far as the handcuffs are concerned, my heart is fond of these ‘ornaments’. You may not believe it, but I am now very much fond of these handcuffs. I have now turned into a Jail Bird.
It is a different matter that Mehtab Bagh [Extra detail: Bagh-i-Mehtab, an area in the neighborhood was used as an interrogation camp by the police before 1980s], Srinagar Central Jail, Muzaffarabad Dalai Camp, and the infamous Shahi Qila of Lahore [Lahore fort – which served as a torture center] could not break my resolve, and could not extinguish the fire of truth. These hardships of imprisonment are a mere ritual. They do not trouble me much. Moreover, these days I am locked in my cell round the clock, and except for these few minutes of our court presentation that we spend together with other inmates, I spend most of my time locked in this cell, as per the orders of jail authorities.
The prisons of this country are weird institutions, where the day-to-day routines and customs that we are supposed to follow are changed every single time some jail authorities are changed. When the masters of these prisons arrive in their splendid manner, with an air of pride, they somewhat derive pleasure from the cruelties meted out to the prisoners here. These people have a wicked frame of mind.
Who can make these ignorants of the 20th century, who have a false sense of pride over their unreal abilities, understand that their conduct, their rules and regulations, and their laws are nothing but a meaningless show, and the false pride that they derive from this meaningless show is nothing but an absurdity. Anyway, this ‘game’ has a dimension of fun and entertainment to it. But the condition is that one needs to be mentally and physically aware in order to extract fun from this show. And as far as the chains of darkness and ignorance are concerned, the are made only to be broken one day, and the truth shines bright.
You mentioning the cold breeze of Pindi in your letter revived in me the burning sensation of Lahore’s extreme heat. The perception of heat and cold is almost over in me now. These sensations are now only an old tale, which are only alive in my memories. Especially after being acquainted with the skin burning heat of Dera Ismail Khan, I am reminded of this Persian sha’ar, where the poet has very well said:
Hooran i behshati Ra dozakh bod a’araf Az dozakhiyan pars a’araf behshat arz
[For the inhabitants of paradise, the a’raf (purgatory, a separation between heaven and hell) is equivalent to hell itself, but for the inhabitants of hell, a’raf is equivalent to the paradise]
This difficult stage of hardships is really long. I think that these pointless procedures will reach their conclusion by the end of November. But the real verdict will come from the battlefield, no matter in whose favour the ink from the pens of these enemies of justice flows.
I enjoyed reading your poem. They were to a great extent relevant to the present circumstances. If the foolish torch- bearers of conservatism and the reactionaries, who are an impediment to making progress, do not take lessons from these verses, then one can do nothing but pity their misfortune.
Please accept my felicitations on the completion of the construction of your new house. Both of the names that you have chosen are beautiful. But I personally liked “Mahaz Manzil” a little more. Anyway, whatever you choose is my choice as well. It would be better for you to shift there. We have a great deal of affection for that place in our hearts.
It has been a long time since I’ve seen my children. Last time I heard, they were staying at Maqbool Sahab’s house.
I once again thank you for your concern for me. Convey my greetings to all our friends and acquaintances.
Also send my Salaams to Bhabhi Sahiba and Azra and Mizu.
With greetings of love from a friend.
Yours brother,
Mohammad Maqbool Bhat
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- (Dr. Farooq Haider was a very close friend of Maqbool Bhat, and an important political associate. He was in regular contact with Maqbool Bhat, even during his imprisonment in Tihar Jail. He supported Maqbool through thick and thin. He sacrificed his wealth and committed his life to the cause, and even had to go endure difficult times in prisons. Shaheed Maqbool Bhat wrote several letters to this close friend of his, and referred to him as his ‘Baradar Aziz’. Farooq Haider was a doctor by profession, but was active on various fronts for liberation of the homeland. He was a resident of Rawalpindi, and passed away in 2009 Maqbool Bhat wrote this letter to Dr Farooq Haider from Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore, where he was under imprisonment in connection with the Ganga Hijacking Case.)