‘The translations are manifestly intended to enable the speakers of the major Pakistani languages (other than Urdu), to understand and appreciate Allama Iqbal’s poetry and its latent message.’
‘Six prose pieces in the non-fiction part highlight some important features of the verse of Sachal Sarmast, Maki Qureshi and Taufiq Rafat. Momina Masood has very perceptively delved into the growing chasm between the writers and readers of literature in terms of both content and style…’
‘In the words of Dr Muhammad Qasim Bughio, the journal is an assortment of some select writings on Intizar Husain’s life and art including six of his popular short stories titled Akhri Admi, Zard Kutta, Kaya Kalap, Kachway, and Mor Nama…’
Pakistan Academy of Letters has lately published multilingual translations of Allama Iqbal’s ten select poems titled Masjid-e-Qartaba, Khizr-e-raah, Jawab-e-Khizr, Shama aur sha’ir, Jibreel-o-Iblees, Muhabbat, Lala-e sehra, Lenin (Khuda kay huzur meiN), Haqiqat-e-husn, Paiwasta rah shajar say ummeed-e bahar rakh,and Khitab ba jawanan-e Islam. The languages in which these translated versions have been aptly rendered are Brahvi, Balti, Balochi, Pashto, Punjabi, Saraiki, Sindhi, and Hindko, and the names of the respective translators are Arif Zia, Ehsan Ali Danish, Dr. Wahid Bakhsh Buzdar, Sultan Faridi, Dr. Ehsan Akbar, Syed Ziauddin Naeem, Sarmad Chandio (assisted by Imdad Husaini as editor and reviewer), and Imtiaz-ul-Haq Imtiaz.
Moreover, in the current year, PAL has also published its English literary journal Pakistani Literature and a special Intizar Husain number of its Urdu journal Adabiyaat. This review is focused on all of these publications.
Translations
The translations are manifestly intended to enable the speakers of the major Pakistani languages (other than Urdu), to understand and appreciate Allama Iqbal’s poetry and its latent message. PAL, ably administered by its chairman Dr Muhammad Qasim Bughio, a renowned educator, social scientist, sociolinguist and research scholar of international repute, deserves kudos for the successful accomplishment of this project.
Pakistani Literature
It is a prestigious literary journal drawing upon the genetics of the Pakistani literature. The present issue is divided into two parts viz., non-fiction and fiction.
Six prose pieces in the non-fiction part highlight some important features of the verse of Sachal Sarmast, Maki Qureshi, and Taufiq Rafat. Momina Masood has very perceptively delved into the growing chasm between the writers and readers of literature in terms of both content and style ascribable to the exigencies of a globalized worldview. Diasporic Shaheer Naeem’s nostalgic impressions on the concept of belonging to two homes simultaneously – Pakistan and Canada – are feelingly exposed in his essay captioned Green and Pure: My trip to Karachi – February 16.
Translated poems (Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi, and Saraiki) of poets like Aliya Mirza, Akhtar Raza Saleemi, Javed Anwer, Saed Ahmed, Kishwar Naheed, Irfan Malik, Mahmood Awan, Ismat Jabeen, Akash Ansari, Shaikh Ayaz, Ustad Bukhari, Imdad Hussaini, Adal Soomro, Madad Ali Sindhi, Khushhal Khan Khattak, Ata Shad, Allah Baksh Buzdar, Naseer Sarmad, Abid Ameeq, Ghulam Muhammad Qasir, and those (English) of Jarri Haider, Risham Amjad, Momina Masood, Asmara Ahmed Malik, Azka Khan, Sadia Pirzada, Razi Haider, and Harris Khalique, among others, would surely engage the attention of a discreet reader.
In the fiction part, translated pieces (Urdu, Sindhi, Balochi and Brahvi) of Muhammad Ilyas, Shoaib Khaliq, Hameed Sindhi, Muneer Badeeni, Naguman, A.R. Dad, and Sultan Ahmed Shahwani besides the ones in English by Umamah Wajid, Taha Kehar, Rida Khan, Yasir Khan, Zainab Ahsan Malik, Sarah Khan, Fatima Majoka, Muhammad Omar Iftikhar, and Sohail Rauf would seem to appeal to the students and connoisseurs of literature, alike. The credit of smoothly selecting, editing and collating a huge bulk of diverse literary material goes to the editors.
Adabiyaat (Intizar Husain Number)
It is a voluminous issue dedicated to the memory of the ace fiction writer, critic, bilingual columnist, and intellectual Intizar Husain. In the words of Dr Muhammad Qasim Bughio, the journal is an assortment of some select writings on Intizar Husain’s life and art including six of his popular short stories titled Akhri Admi, Zard Kutta, Kaya Kalap, Kachway, and Mor Nama; his last critical evaluation Arabi zaban kay shinawar, Khurshid Rizvi; three of his English columns on Noon Meem Rashid, Alif aur Noon, and Re-writing fables, dastans and kathas, and facsimiles of some rare photographs featuring Intizar Husain with celebrities like Salim Ahmad, Muhammad Hassan Askari, Abdullah Hussein, Shams-ur-Rahman Farooqi, Qurratul Ain Hyder, Gulzar, Shamim Hanafi, Kishwar Naheed, Dr. Asif Farrukhi, Masood Ash’ar, Javed Qureshi, Irfan Siddiqui, Ataul Haq Qasmi, Asghar Nadeem Syed, Muhammad Rafiq Rajwana, and Dr. Muhammad Qasim Bughio besides a torrent of rich tributes to the late litterateur on his inimitable excellence as a writer of fiction and literary columns.
The journal encompasses a wide range of writings on Intizar Husain. Chief contrtibutors on his person and art, among others, are Mustansar Husain Tarar, Dr. Rafiuddin Hashmi, Dr. Anwar Sadeed, Munnu Bhai, Abdul Qadir Hasan, Dr. Khurshid Rizvi, Masood Ash’ar, Ataul Haq Qasmi, Amjad Islam Amjad, Tanvir Zahoor, Dr. Shahida Dilawar Shah, Dr. Ghafir Shahzad, Dr. Iqbal Afaqi, Muhammad Hameed Shahid, Dr. Nasir Abbas Nayyar, Hanif Bawa, Dr. Nisar Turabi, Muhammad Asim Butt, Zahid Hasan, Zulfiqar Ahsan, Dr. Saadat Saeed, Dr. Asif Farrukhi, Mahmood Ahmad Qazi, Jan Kashmiri, and Hanif Ramay.
It is hoped that the journal will immensely benefit both the students as well as researchers looking for relevant but valuable material on the person and art of Intizar Husain.
Allama Iqbal ki Muntakhab NazmaiN
Translated into Brahvi, Balti, Balochi, Pashto, Punjabi, Saraiki, Sindhi, and Hindko by Arif Zia, Ehsan Ali Danish, Dr. Wahid Bakhsh Buzdar, Sultan Faridi, Dr. Ehsan Akbar, Syed Ziauddin Naeem, Sarmad Chandio and edited & revised by Imdad Hussaini, and Imtiaz-ul-Haq Imtiaz)
Titles: 8; Pages: 83 (apiece); Price: Rs100/- (apiece)
Pakistani Literature (Vol. 19 – 2017)
Editor-in-Chief: Dr. Muhammad Qasim Bughio
Editors: Harris Khalique, Waqas Naeem
Coordinating Editor: Fiza Gul
Pages: 318; Price: Rs300/-
Title: Quarterly Adabiyaat (Intizar Husain Number)
Nigran: Dr. Muhammad Qasim Bughio
Mudeer-e-Muntazim: Dr. Rashid Hameed
Mudeer: Akhtar Raza Saleemi – Printing: Ali Yasir – Circulation: Mir Nawaz Solangi
Pages: 714; Price: Rs300/-
Published by: Pakistan Academy of Letters, Sector H-8/1, Pitras Bokhari Road, Islamabad
