Professor Dr Raj Wali Shah Khattak, a renowned Pashto poet, writer, and critic, was laid to rest at his native village Dak Ismail Khel, Nowshera district, on Tuesday.
Dr Raj Wali died of cardiac arrest on Monday. His funeral prayer was attended by a large number of people from different walks of life.
He was known, both at home and internationally, for his academic achievements and contribution towards the promotion of Pashto. He possessed a special place in the modern Pashto poetry. His collection “Sangzar” has been termed a precursor of poetry by renowned critics of the time.
He was a trend-setter in research on Pashto language and published ten books on the subject. He had to his credit more than 60 research articles published in journals of international repute.
He wrote over 100 critical reviews on various books and other academic works.
He was a resource person for Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation, Pakistan Television, British Broadcasting Corporation and Voice of America on themes of diverse nature. He used to give lectures at Pashto Academy, University of Peshawar, as a visiting faculty member.
Dar Raj Wali also worked as Director of Pashto Academy, University of Peshawar from 1995 to 2004 and took in hand a number of research projects on Pashto language and literature. He also set up a language laboratory equipped with modern tools and launched Pashto website.
He was conferred Tamgha-i-Imtiaz (TI) for his meritorious contribution to Pashto literature.