Speakers at a Sustainable Development Policy Institute event in Islamabad on 27 January 2026 eulogized Ahmed Salim’s lifetime of intellectual resistance and called for the urgent digitization of his archives to ensure wider public access and preservation.
Former Senator Farhatullah Babar described Ahmed Salim as a national asset who authored more than 150 books and freely shared his knowledge. Mr Babar recalled Salim’s long association with the Communist Party, his detentions, and his work reviewing the Pakistan People’s Party 2018 manifesto through a human rights and sustainable development lens. He highlighted Salim’s writings on Partition for revealing inter-communal solidarity often missing from official narratives and urged a renewed examination of Pakistan’s progressive movements.
SDPI Executive Director Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri underscored Ahmed Salim’s close ties with the institute and noted the establishment of an Ahmed Salim Research Room in his honour. Dr Suleri said Salim consistently championed sustainable development, freedom of expression, access to information, social liberty and freedom of thought, and announced SDPI’s resolution to digitize his vast archives for future generations. A special documentary titled Khali Kursi was screened as a tribute.
Poet and critic Munir Fiaz praised Ahmed Salim’s Punjabi poetry for its rebellious spirit, surrealistic techniques and distinct diction that challenged conventional Punjabi forms. Dr Manzoor Veesrio of the National Institute of Pakistan Studies remembered Salim as a humble, multidimensional writer, poet, journalist and philosopher who, despite his deep love for Sindh, proudly identified as a Punjabi poet and frequently participated in the Indus Cultural Festival.
SDPI Deputy Executive Director Dr Shafqat Munir emphasised Salim’s research-oriented approach, noting his work on labour rights, women’s rights and countering extremism through literature. Dr Shafqat recalled Salim’s field research with coal mine workers and his proposals on inclusive education. Panah Baloch reflected on Salim’s emotional and intellectual connection with Balochistan and how his poetry wove Baloch symbols into Punjabi folk traditions. Salim’s granddaughter Amna Rehman remembered him as an affectionate mentor who passed away while immersed in reading and writing.
UK-based poet Nuzhat Abbas highlighted Salim’s inspiration from Faiz Ahmed Faiz and noted that the South Asian Research and Resource Centre founded by Salim houses over 50,000 books and rare collections. Progressive writer Imdad Akash spoke of the political consciousness in Salim’s work and his role in forming the Afro-Asian Writers’ Forum. Tributes also came from Mazhar Arif, Dr Sadia Kamal and Prof Saeed, who described Ahmed Salim as a towering literary figure and an encyclopedia of humanity.
The gathering concluded with Dr Humera Ashfaq presenting a souvenir to Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri followed by cake cutting, as participants reiterated that digitizing Ahmed Salim archives is essential to safeguard his contributions to progressive literature, Punjabi poetry and South Asian research for scholars and the public alike.
