Muhammad Izhar ul Haq

Muhammad Izhar ul Haq is a trailblazer in contemporary Urdu ghazal poetry. His debut work, ‘Diwaar-e-aab’ (1982), received the prestigious Adam Jee Award, a top literary accolade at the time. He continued his poetic journey with ‘Ghadr’ and ‘Paree-zaad’ in 1986 and 1995, respectively. His fourth book, ‘Paani peh Bichaa Takht,’ was honoured with the Allama Iqbal Award in 2003. His latest poetry collection, ‘Ay Asman neechay utar,’ was published this year. In addition to his poetic prowess, Muhammad Izhar ul Haq has authored three prose books: ‘Talkh Nawaai,’ ‘Meri Wafaat,’ and ‘Ashiq mast Jalali.’ Furthermore, he is a prominent columnist, addressing socio-economic, political, and literary matters in major national dailies, equally adept in English. For his outstanding contributions to literature, he received the Pride of Performance award from the President of Pakistan on 23 March 2009.