President, PM,others condole death
LAHORE: Intizar Hussain, the world renowned Pakistani Urdu fiction writer, died at the age of 92 on Tuesday.
Intizar Hussain was born in India on December 7, 1923 in Dibai, Bulandshahr. He migrated to Pakistan in 1947. He obtained a Masters degree in Urdu. He wanted to do Masters in English literature also but could not fulfill his desire. Intizar Hussain wrote many short stories and novels in Urdu, and also columns for English newspapers.
He received many awards in Pakistan, India and the Middle East, and was one of the finalists of the Man Booker International Prize in 2013. The Seventh Door and Leaves are among his books translated into English.
He also translated works from English to Urdu. His writings include “Basti”, “Hindustan se Aakhri Khat”, “Agay Samander hai”, “Shehr-e-Afsos”, “Jataka Tales”, “Janam Kahanian” and “Wo Jo Kho Gaye”. He received the lifetime achievement award at the Lahore Literary Festival in 2012. On September 20, 2014, he was awarded the French civil award Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He believed that two forces have risen in contemporary Pakistan: women and mullahs. He also acknowledged his study and influence of the Buddhist texts and Mahabharata.
APP adds from Islamabad: President Mamnoon Hussain expressed sorrow over the demise of Intizar Hussain. The president said with his death the country lost an eminent Urdu writer. He said Intizar Hussain through his celebrated works promoted Urdu literature and his services in this regard would be remembered forever.
In his condolence message on Tuesday, the president prayed for salvation of the departed soul. He condoled with the bereaved family and prayed for them to bear this irreparable loss with fortitude.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also expressed his heartfelt condolences on the demise of Intizar Hussain. He sympathised with the bereaved family and prayed to the Allah Almighty to rest the departed soul in eternal peace.
Paying rich tributes to the legendary writer, the premier said the invaluable contributions of the late writer would always be remembered.Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid also expressed grief over the demise of the writer. “Today we are deprived of one of the living legends of Pakistan,” he said.
The passing away of Intizar Hussain has left a void which will be difficult to fulfill, he added. His contributions in the field of literature are immense which won him many laurels and got appreciation and recognition, the minister said, adding that Intizar would be remembered for times to come. He prayed to Almighty Allah to rest the departed soul in eternal peace and grant courage to the bereaved family to bear this loss with fortitude.
Adviser to the Prime Minister on National History and Literary Heritage, Irfan Siddiqui expressed grief over the death of Intizar Hussain.In a condolence message, he praised the literary services of the writer. He prayed to Allah Almighty to rest the departed soul in eternal peace and grant courage to the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss with equanimity.Lahore correspondent adds: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has expressed grief over the death of legendary Urdu writer. He expressed sympathies and condolences with the bereaved family.
Eulogizing the literary services of Intizar Hussain, the chief minister said we have been deprived of a great Urdu writer of the present era. He said the deceased was one of those writers from whom lakhs of people of our generation learnt manners of speaking and writing.
Meanwhile, Punjab University’s acting Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran expressed his sorrow over the demise of the acclaimed writer.He said Intizar Hussain’s creations were translated into many foreign languages and he was respected among all schools of thought because of his balanced views. He prayed that the departed soul may rest in eternal peace and Almighty Allah may grant courage to members of the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss.
The Vice Chancellor of the Government College University, Prof Dr Hassan Amir Shah, and faculty members have also expressed condolences on the demise of the veteran writer. The GCU faculty members paid tributes to his services in the realm of Urdu literature, saying that “his death has created a void which will never be filled”. They also remembered his last visit to a seminar at the GCU on the World Translation Day.