Fahmida Riaz, noted poet and human rights activist of Pakistan, passes away

Fahmida Riaz (73), the noted India-born Pakistani poet and human rights activist, has passed away in Lahore on November 22. She worked with Radio Pakistan and BBC Urdu service (Radio) Riaz fled Pakistan during former military dictator Gen Zia-ul-Haq’s rule and lived in self exile in India for 7 years. The poems from her collection ‘Apna Jurm Sabit Hae’ reflect her homeland’s experience under the dictatorship of General Zia-ul-Haq. She was born into a literary family of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh and settled in Hyderabad in Sindh Province. She always raised her voice for women rights and democracy in Pakistan.