Ahmad Faraz remembered on his 15th death anniversary

Ahmad Faraz – the renowned Urdu port not in Pakistan only but all over the world – has been remembered by the nation on his 15^th death anniversary today (Friday, August 25).

According to the media reports, the 15th death anniversary of Urdu Poet Ahmad Faraz is being observed around the country. He was born on January 12, 1931 in Kohat. The real name of Faraz was Syed Ahmad Shah. He started his career as a scriptwriter with Radio Pakistan Peshawar and later joined Peshawar University as a lecturer.

Also read: Actor Akbar Khan dies in Karachi today

Tanha Tanha, Be-awaz Gali Kuchon mian, Sab Awazain meri hai, and Shab-e-Khoon are among his literary works. He was a member of the Progressive Writers Movement. By performing his ghazals in movies and live concerts, singers like Mehdi Hassan, Noor Jehan, Ghulam Ali, Pankaj Udhas, Jagjit Singh, and Runa Laila significantly increased the popularity of his poetry. He also served as Chairman of the National Book Foundation in Islamabad.

Faraz was decorated with a number of national and international awards including the Nigar Award, Sitara-e-Imtiaz, and Hilal-e-Imtiaz. The Pakistani government first gave him the Sitara-i-Imtiaz, and later in 2004 then-President Pervez Musharraf gave him the Hilal-e-Imtiaz. Two years later, in 2006, he returned this honor “as a form of protest against the policies of the Musharraf regime.”

The Great Urdu Poet passed away in Islamabad on August 25, 2008, and the Pakistani government later awarded him the posthumous honor of Hilal-e-Pakistan for his contributions to Urdu poetry and literature.

کہانیاں ہی سہی سب مبالغے ہی سہی

اگر وہ خواب ہے تعبیر کر کے دیکھتے ہیں

اب اس کے شہر میں ٹھہریں کہ کوچ کر جائیں

فرازؔ آؤ ستارے سفر کے دیکھتے ہیں