Jalil Aali

Professor Jalil Aali is a distinguished poet, literary critic, educationist, and Iqbal scholar. Born in 1945 in Amritsar, India, he received his education in Lahore, earning master’s degrees in Urdu and Sociology from the University of the Punjab. Following a notable teaching career, he retired as the Head of the Department of Urdu Language and Literature at Federal Government Sir Syed College, Rawalpindi.

Professor Aali has authored several acclaimed poetry collections, including ‘Khwab Dareecha,’ ‘Showk Sitara,’ and ‘Arz-e-Hunar Se Aage’ (2007), the latter of which garnered the Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi Award (2007) and the Writers’ Guild Award (2005-2007). He has contributed over fifty critical articles to prominent literary journals and has compiled and edited two annual editions (2002 and 2005) of ‘Pakistani Adab,’ an anthology of Urdu poetry published by the Pakistan Academy of Letters.

His contributions have been recognized with numerous accolades, including the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz for poetry in 2016 and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Punjab Arts Council in 2023. Professor Aali’s poetry has been performed by renowned artists, and he continues to inspire through his lectures, literary conferences, and media appearances.