Literary icons Parveen Shakir, Munir Niazi remembered

ISLAMABAD (APP) - Literary icons Parveen Shakir and Munir Niazi were remembered on their death anniversaries on Tuesday.

Eminent and trailblazing poetess Parveen Shakir's 29th death anniversary was observed where fans from all walks of life through media platforms paid rich tributes to her unforgettable services. Born in Karachi on November 24, 1952, Parveen Shakir became a prominent figure in the literary landscape after successfully clearing the competitive examination for the Civil Service, PTV news channels reported.

In 1977, she made her literary debut with the publication of her first poetry collection, ‘Khushbu’ (Fragrance), which garnered exceptional acclaim within literary circles. Her subsequent collections, including ‘Sad Barg’ (One Hundred Leaves), ‘Khood-Qalami’ (Self-Talk), and ‘Inkaar’ (Denial) further solidified her status as a distinguished Urdu poet.

The complete works of Parveen Shakir were published under the title ‘Mah-e-Tamam’ (The Full Moon), while her final poetry collection, ‘Kaf-e-Aina’ (The Mirror’s Edge), was posthumously released after her demise. The Government of Pakistan honored her with the prestigious President’s Award for Pride of Performance in acknowledgement of her outstanding contributions.

Meanwhile, prominent Urdu poet Munir Niazi was remembered on his 17th death anniversary for his contribution to Urdu language and literature. Munir Ahmed Niazi was born on April 9, 1928 in Khanpur, a village near Hoshiarpur, India and used ‘Munir’ as his pen name. After the partition, he migrated to Pakistan and settled in Sahiwal.

He wrote numerous songs for films and became known as one of the best songwriters of Pakistan. He also wrote for newspapers, magazines and conducted shows for Radio Pakistan. He later became associated with Lahore Television. In 1960, he established a publication institute, Al-Misal. Some of his renowned Urdu publications include ‘Taiz Hawa Aur Tanha Phool’, ‘Jungle mein Dhanak’, ‘Dushmanoon Kai Darmiyan’, ‘Sham’ and ‘Mah-e-Munir'. The Government of Pakistan awarded him, first, the Star of Distinction and then the Pride of Performance. He lived in Lahore until his death on December 26, 2006.