[1] She authored many books, such as Godaavari, Khatt-e Marmuz, and Khana e Aab O Gil in addition to the first translation in rhyme of the Masnavi of Jalaluddin Rumi from Persian into Urdu.

Fleeing General Zia-ul Haq's religious tyranny, Riaz sought refuge in India and spent seven years there.

[3][4] The poems from her collection Apna Jurm Sabit Hae reflect her homeland's experience under the dictatorship of General Zia-ul-Haq.

By reputation, Riaz stands alongside Nazim Hikmet, Pablo Neruda, Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir.

Her father, Riaz-ud-Din Ahmed, was an educationist involved in mapping and developing the modern education system for the province of Sindh.

[8] When she and her husband were arrested, she was bailed out by an admirer of her work before she could be taken to jail, and fled to India with her sister and two small children under the pretext of a Mushaira invitation.

Her friend, the renowned poet Amrita Pritam, spoke to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on Riaz's behalf and gained her asylum there.

The family spent almost seven years in exile before returning to Pakistan after Zia-ul-Haq's death on the eve of Benazir Bhutto's wedding reception.

During this time, Riaz was a poet-in-residence at Jamia Millia Islamia university in Delhi; it was there that she learned to read Hindi.

[2] On 8 March 2014, against the backdrop of rising concerns over intolerance in India, Riaz recited her poem "Tum bilkul hum jaisey nikley تم بالکل ہم جیسے نکلے" at a seminar called Hum Gunahgaar Auratein- ہم گنہگار عورتیں.