Faiz Ahmed Faiz Family Tree: The Story Behind The Voice of Resistance

Faiz Ahmed Faiz, born 13 February 1911 in Kala Qader (now Faiz Nagar), Narowal District, Punjab, British India (now in Pakistan), was an Urdu poet of socialism and resistance — author of Naqsh-e-Faryadi (1941), Dast-e-Saba (1952), Zindan-Nama (1956), Sare Niche Hai Tera Saath (1965); imprisoned in the Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case (1951–55); Lenin Peace Prize (1962). He died 20 November 1984 at age 73.

The Family's Roots: A Punjabi Family in Narowal

The Faiz family is Punjabi from Narowal District, Punjab. His father had served the British in Afghanistan and made a fortune.

His Parents

Father: Sultan Mohammad Khan — barrister; served as Foreign Minister under Emir Abdur Rahman Khan of Afghanistan (1880s–90s); returned to Punjab and became wealthy.

Mother: Sultan Fatima — homemaker.

His Wife: Alys George (Alys Faiz)

Alys Faiz (née George) (1915–2003) — English; sister of Christopher Joseph George; came to India in the 1930s as a Communist Party member. Married Faiz on 28 October 1941 in Srinagar (with Sheikh Abdullah and his wife as witnesses).

Their Daughters

Salima Hashmi, born 1942 — daughter; Pakistani artist and former principal of the National College of Arts, Lahore.

Muneeza Hashmi, born 1945 — daughter; television producer; longtime Pakistan Television executive.

The Faiz Family Tree at a Glance

Father: Sultan Mohammad Khan — barrister; served as Foreign Minister of Afghanistan.

Mother: Sultan Fatima.

Wife: Alys George (1915–2003; English; m. 28 October 1941).

Daughters: Salima Hashmi (b. 1942) — artist; Muneeza Hashmi (b. 1945) — TV producer.

Granddaughter: Mira Hashmi — film studies professor.

Faiz Ahmed Faiz:

  • Born 13 February 1911, Kala Qader (Faiz Nagar), Narowal
  • Murray College, Sialkot; Government College, Lahore (MA Arabic 1934; MA English 1932)
  • Lecturer of English at MAO College, Amritsar; Hailey College of Commerce, Lahore
  • WWII: British Indian Army Public Relations (1941–47)
  • After Independence: Editor, Pakistan Times (1947–51, 1958–62)
  • Progressive Writers' Association (PWA): leading member
  • Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case (1951): arrested for alleged coup plot; imprisoned 1951–55 in Lyallpur and Hyderabad jails; wrote Dast-e-Saba and Zindan-Nama in prison
  • Lenin Peace Prize: 1962
  • Pakistan National Council of Arts: founding chairman (1972)
  • 5 years of self-imposed exile in Beirut (1979–82) editing Lotus magazine
  • Naqsh-e-Faryadi (1941), Dast-e-Saba (1952), Zindan-Nama (1956), Dast-e-Tah-e-Sang (1965), Sar-i-Wadi-e-Sina (1971), Sham-e-Shahr-e-Yaran (1978), Mere Dil Mere Musafir (1980), Nuskha Hai Wafa (1984)
  • Hum Dekhenge (1979) — anti-Zia protest anthem; iconic across South Asia
  • Died 20 November 1984, Lahore, age 73

What the Faiz Family Story Teaches Us

An Afghanistan-Foreign-Minister-turned-Punjab-lawyer father. A homemaker mother. An English Communist Party member wife. Two daughters — both major Pakistani cultural figures. A career that combined poetry, jail time, and an English-language press.

For every family — large or small, famous or otherwise — the Faiz story carries the same lesson. Some marriages combine Pakistani and English Communist Party heritage in one household. The Faiz-Alys partnership is on the family record alongside Hum Dekhenge.

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