Faiz’s nazm of dissent and resistance | India News

Written by renowned Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz in 1979, just two years after the country came under martial law under Gen Zia-ul-Haq, ‘Hum Dekhenge (We shall see)’ is often used in anti-establishment protests both in India and Pakistan. The nazm of dissent and resistance gained larger recognition after singer Iqbal Bano defied the law and delivered a public rendition in Lahore in 1986. In India, ‘Hum Dekhenge’ has been especially popular with cultural activists and Left groups. At one point, the poem goes, “Sab taaj uchhaley jayenge/ Sab takht giraye jayenge (Every crown will be flung/ Each throne brought down).” During the anti-CAA protests in 2019, some professors in IIT Kanpur claimed that the song had anti-Hindu references. The probe was later closed.