Faiz Ahmed Faiz (A man of peace):

The poet’s humanity transcends geographical, cultural and religious boundaries. He wrote about the plight of Palestine, students of Iran and the people of Africa. In the book Poetry East, Carlo Coppola calls him “a spokesperson for the world’s voiceless and suffering people.”
In an interview by I A Rehman in 1984, Faiz said he was a man of peace because in his childhood he was “surrounded by women, widows and orphans who had suffered terribly.”
Faiz will be remembered for all times to come as a poet, visionary, philosopher, teacher, mentor and a symbol of hope for all those who continue to strive for a society based on justice and equality. He shall always remain a beacon of hope. As Faiz himself put it “hum dekhain gain”.
(Published in The Express Tribune, November 21^st, 2010.)