Raja Anwar
Encyclopedia
Raja Anwar is a Pakistan
i journalist
and writer, and a former PPP political activist.
Rajput
family of Darkali Sher Shahi a village, near Kallar Syedan (Rawlpindi district) in 1948. Anwar was a student leader (president of Gordon College Students Union)in the sixties and later joined the Pakistan Peoples Party
.The agitation against the then military dictator Gen Ayub Khan sparked in goron college.Anwar led the first procession of youth on 7th of november 1968 against Ayub Khan in Rawalpindi,which resulted into a country wide movement.He was arrested times and again by the authorities however Ayub Khan had to step down in march 1969.Gen Yehya the successor of Ayub Khan imprisoned him for one year.He wrote his first book "Barri Jail Se Chhoti Jail Tak" based on his memoires of prison in 1970 .It was the first book on prisons written by a student.Raja Anwar got fame from his Book "JHOTAY RUP KE DARHSAN"based on love letters written by him to his girl friend "Kawal" during their tenure of punjab university from 1971 to 1973 approximately.
Anwar was appointed as an adviser on Students and Labour in Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
's government (1974–1977). Anwar escaped to Afghanistan
after Bhutto was toppled by a right-wing military coup led by Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq
.
In Kabul
, Anwar joined Bhutto's elder son, Murtaza Bhutto
, and formed Al-Zulfiqar
, a leftist insurgency committed to toppling the Zia dictatorship. Raja Anwar had a falling with Murtaza over the latter's controversial terror tactics in 1980 and wanted to return to Pakistan
and help Murtaza's sister, Benazir Bhutto
's political struggle against Zia. Anwar was then admitted to a Kabul jail, the Pul-e-Charkhi, but was released in 1985 after Murtaza shifted his operations to Syria
.
Unable to return to Pakistan due to his struggle against gen zia, Anwar found political asylum in Germany
where he lived until the assassination
of Zia-ul-Haq in 1988. His 1988 book "The Tragedy of Afghanistan" is considered a classic early study of the Afghan crisis before and during the Soviet occupation of that country.
Anwar currently lives in Pakistan and writes for various Urdu
newspapers and has written a total of seven books in Urdu
and English.
Anwar is working as the chairman chief minister's taskforce on elementary education as well as chairman punjab education foundation and looks after the school education reforms since 2008.
He has recently launched his latest book in April 2011 ...KABAR KI AGHOSH ...(in the lap of the grave ) a book regarding the political situation of Afghanistan , Pakistan and the famous death cell ...PUL E CHARKHI PRISON of Kabul .He is the only Pakistani who survived both the prisons (Pakistan and Afghanistan)and written two wonderful books on them.
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and writer, and a former PPP political activist.
Personal life
Anwar was born into a BhakralBhakral
The Bhakral are a Muslim Rajput tribe found in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Another pronunciation is Pakhral, particularly in Rawalpindi.Their population according to the 1931 census of India, was 6,600...
Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
family of Darkali Sher Shahi a village, near Kallar Syedan (Rawlpindi district) in 1948. Anwar was a student leader (president of Gordon College Students Union)in the sixties and later joined the Pakistan Peoples Party
Pakistan Peoples Party
The Pakistan Peoples Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International. Pakistan People's Party is the largest political party of Pakistan...
.The agitation against the then military dictator Gen Ayub Khan sparked in goron college.Anwar led the first procession of youth on 7th of november 1968 against Ayub Khan in Rawalpindi,which resulted into a country wide movement.He was arrested times and again by the authorities however Ayub Khan had to step down in march 1969.Gen Yehya the successor of Ayub Khan imprisoned him for one year.He wrote his first book "Barri Jail Se Chhoti Jail Tak" based on his memoires of prison in 1970 .It was the first book on prisons written by a student.Raja Anwar got fame from his Book "JHOTAY RUP KE DARHSAN"based on love letters written by him to his girl friend "Kawal" during their tenure of punjab university from 1971 to 1973 approximately.
Anwar was appointed as an adviser on Students and Labour in Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was 9th Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1973 to 1977, and prior to that, 4th President of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973. Bhutto was the founder of the Pakistan Peoples Party — the largest and most influential political party in Pakistan— and served as its chairman until his...
's government (1974–1977). Anwar escaped to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
after Bhutto was toppled by a right-wing military coup led by Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq
Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq
General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq , was the 4th Chief Martial Law Administrator and the sixth President of Pakistan from July 1977 to his death in August 1988...
.
In Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
, Anwar joined Bhutto's elder son, Murtaza Bhutto
Murtaza Bhutto
Dr. Mir Ghulam Murtaza Bhutto was a Pakistani politician and the Member of the Parliament of Pakistan, representing Pakistan People's Party from the Larkana constituency...
, and formed Al-Zulfiqar
Al-Zulfiqar
Al-Zulfiqar was a leftist organization of Pakistan. It was formed in the late seventies by the sons of former Pakistani Prime Minister, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who was also the Chairman of Pakistan's biggest political party, Pakistan Peoples Party. Al-Zulfiqar was formed to revenge the killing of...
, a leftist insurgency committed to toppling the Zia dictatorship. Raja Anwar had a falling with Murtaza over the latter's controversial terror tactics in 1980 and wanted to return to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and help Murtaza's sister, Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto was a democratic socialist who served as the 11th Prime Minister of Pakistan in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996....
's political struggle against Zia. Anwar was then admitted to a Kabul jail, the Pul-e-Charkhi, but was released in 1985 after Murtaza shifted his operations to Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
.
Unable to return to Pakistan due to his struggle against gen zia, Anwar found political asylum in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
where he lived until the assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
of Zia-ul-Haq in 1988. His 1988 book "The Tragedy of Afghanistan" is considered a classic early study of the Afghan crisis before and during the Soviet occupation of that country.
Anwar currently lives in Pakistan and writes for various Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
newspapers and has written a total of seven books in Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
and English.
Anwar is working as the chairman chief minister's taskforce on elementary education as well as chairman punjab education foundation and looks after the school education reforms since 2008.
He has recently launched his latest book in April 2011 ...KABAR KI AGHOSH ...(in the lap of the grave ) a book regarding the political situation of Afghanistan , Pakistan and the famous death cell ...PUL E CHARKHI PRISON of Kabul .He is the only Pakistani who survived both the prisons (Pakistan and Afghanistan)and written two wonderful books on them.