Sajjad Zaheer


Syed Sajjad Zaheer was an Urdu writer, Marxist ideologue and radical revolutionary who worked in both India and Pakistan. In the pre-independence era, he was a member of the Communist Party of India. Upon independence and partition, he moved to the newly created Pakistan and became a founding member of the Communist Party of Pakistan.

Revolutionary writer

A collection of short stories, Angaaray, which had stories by Sajjad Zaheer, Ahmed Ali, Rashid Jahan and Mahmud-uz-Zafar was published in 1932 and banned in 1933 by the British Government of India "for hurting the religious susceptibilities of a section of the community." This gave rise to the All-India Progressive Writers' Movement & Association of which both Sajjad Zaheer and Ahmed Ali were co-founders.

Personal life

Sajjad and his wife Razia Sajjad Zaheer had four daughters, including Naseem Bhatia, who holds a PhD in History from a Russian university.

Published writings