PPP’s attack on poet is betrayal of its own ideals
By Zulfiqar Ahmad
ISLAMABAD: In a disturbing display of political intolerance, Afzalullah Afzal, one of Chitral’s most revered poets, is facing harassment and public vilification — not at the hands of religious hardliners, but from the very political party that once championed freedom of expression: the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
The irony could not be more glaring. The PPP, founded by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and carried forward by Benazir Bhutto on the pillars of democracy and secularism, now finds its local leadership in Chitral undermining the very values the party once stood for.
Afzalullah Afzal is not a controversial figure. His romantic verses have long resonated with generations in the valleys and villages of Chitral. His poetry has served as a cultural compass for a region deeply rooted in artistic tradition. And yet, it is this humble voice of literature that local PPP leaders now seek to suppress.
The hypocrisy is hard to ignore. Party activists who proudly display portraits of Bhutto and Benazir, and echo speeches by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on democratic ideals, are the same people leading this assault on a poet.
Has the local leadership forgotten the PPP’s own legacy — the resistance of writers and intellectuals who stood firm against General Zia-ul-Haq’s authoritarianism? In those dark times, poets were jailed and silenced, but never by the hands of self-proclaimed liberals.
It is deeply troubling that PPP workers — heirs to a party forged in the fires of political struggle and cultural resistance — are now targeting a literary figure with baseless accusations and public shaming.
Salim Khan and his political cohorts in Chitral should revisit the founding principles of their party. A better understanding of the PPP’s history might remind them that respect for literature and the right to dissent are not threats — they are the lifeblood of any true democracy.
The attempt to silence Afzalullah Afzal is not just an attack on a poet, it is a betrayal of the very soul of the Pakistan People’s Party.