Vol. 12 No. 01 2022 p-ISSN 2202-2821 e-ISSN 1839-6518 (Australian ISSN Agency) 828012012022183 © Author(s) www.irj.iars.info www.researth.iars.info/index.php/curie THE CRITIQUE OF TOTALITARIANISM IN SHAIKH AYAZ AND HABIB JALIB’S POETRY: A COMPARATIVE STUDY Shafqat Hussain IELL, University of Sindh, Jamshoro, Pakistan Ameer Ali IELL, University of Sindh, Jamshoro, Pakistan ABSTRACT – Shaikh Ayaz and Habib Jalib are very renowned figures of Pakistani modern literature. Following the trend, their literary works tend to highlight their contemporary issues. Totalitarianism is a very internationally recognized political dogma which deals with controlling a state with one-man power. In the modern political discourse, it is named as dictatorship. Therefore, the study is concerned with locating the critique of totalitarianism in the poets’ poems. The researchers find the objective of finding the theme of totalitarianism in the comparative manner. The researchers answer the question that how the theme of totalitarianism is dealt with, by both poets comparatively. The research follows the comparative textual analysis method of research and is qualitative in design. The Researchers have examined some similarities and differences between the poets while treating the subject of Totalitarianism. The findings of the study rely on understanding Ayaz as an international totalitarian critic, and Jalib as a national critic. The study is significant to understand Pakistani political literature. Key words: Pakistani Poetry; Political Injustice; Totalitarianism; Comparative Study I. Introduction Totalitarianism, according to Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, is a social and political concept originated at the time of fascist rule in 1920s and 1930s in Europe. Firstly, the concept was introduced by Italian theorists like Giovanni Gentile. It is basically a form of government which controls each and everything of state. It holds control over every individual in the state. It mostly emerged during cold war. Totalitarianism bears no criticism specifically valid criticism. It controls state, society and individual life. The term totalitarianism bears the sense of steep modern dictatorship owning perfectionistic approaches in utopian understanding of a society. The concept of Totalitarianism also includes two major historical concepts: Nazism and Stalinism. Additionally, in the beginning of twentieth century, the idea of totalitarianism stood as a political reality. Thinkers like Cal Schmitt in Germany and Giovanni Gentile in Italy assisted the formation of fascist ideology in the favor of dictatorship. Later many modern scholars like Hannah Arendt, Karl Freidrich and Brzezinski has explored its negative nature. In short, totalitarianism being a political and social form, bears no valid criticism, and controls the state by subjugating common people, oppressing their freedom of speech and any sort of political activity (p.80-101). Similarly, both Pakistani poets, Shaikh Ayaz, Sindhi modern revolutionary and romantic poet, and Habib Jalib a well- known Urdu revolutionary poet, stood against the then existing politics in Pakistan. The poets criticized the dictating political policies. They stepped against the totalitarianism by the civil and armed-politician of era. Both poets criticized the governmental policies of their contemporary political personalities like Ayub Khan, Yahiya Khan Zulilifkar Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto. Ayaz explicitly talked about the dictatorial era of Pakistani politics. The staunch slogans of freedom, revolution, criticism and rights for the individuals are followed in the poets’ poetry. Thus, the research, with a good assistance of comparative textual method of qualitative design, opens up the deep aspects of political satire but specifically the critique of totalitarianism in Shaikh Ayaz and Habib Jalib’s poetry. The theory of Totalitarianism purposed in the book, Ideology and Power in Soviet Politics (1962) by Brzezinski is taken as a theoretical framework to analyze the data collected. II. Problem Statement Habib Jalib and Shaikh Ayaz are researched from many perspectives. They are given no touch with respect to the international political theory of totalitarianism. Thus, the current research aims at displaying the treatment of totalitarianism in their poetry. The researchers apply the Brzezinski’s theory of Totalitarianism on Shaikh Ayaz and Habib Jalib’s selected poetry. The research significantly and