Muhammad Izhar ul Haq

Muhammad Izhar ul Haq (b. 1948) is a poet of Urdu language, a columnist and analyst, and a renowned intellectual from Pakistan. He was awarded the federal government inter-wing fellowship under which he did his MA Economics from Dhaka University. Later, he did MA in Arabic from the Punjab University as an external candidate and also learnt Uzbek from Afghan Uzbeks. In 1972, he joined the Civil Service of Pakistan. Muhammad Izhar ul Haq is considered a trendsetter in modern Urdu ghazal. His first book, “Diwaar-e-Aab” (1982) won the Adamjee Literary Award. His two subsequent books in Urdu poetry, “Ghadr” and “Paree-zaad” hit the stalls in 1986 and 1995, respectively. His fourth book, “Paani Peh Bichaa Takht”, was conferred yet another honour, the Allama Iqbal Award, in 2003. A fifth book of poetry is soon to be published. Two books of prose “Talkh Nawaai” and “Meri Wafaat” have been published and the third is forthcoming. Muhammad Izhar ul Haq has been writing columns on socioeconomic, political, and literary issues in major dailies of the country. He writes in English with equal ease. His columns are published in ‘The Nation’, ‘The News, ‘The Bangladesh Today’, and ‘Holiday International Dhaka’. He also contributes occasionally to Australian print media. His articles are published in ‘The Age’ and ‘Eureka Street’. On 23 March 2009, Muhammad Izhar ul Haq was awarded the Pride of Performance in Literature by the President of Pakistan.