Ghazal evening

Rawalpindi: Ghazal evening along with poetry recital was held here on Sunday evening at the residence of poet Murtaza Barlas. Poets, singers, family and friends gathered at his residence to welcome him as he has recently shifted from Lahore to Rawalpindi. He has been actively involved in the literary activities all over Pakistan.

‘Doston ke halqoon main hum wo kaj muqaddar hain Afsaroon main Shair hain Shairon main Afsar hain’ This is one of his famous verses as he was an officer among poets and a poet amongst bureaucrats.

He was selected for the Punjab provincial civil service in 1960, rose to be a divisional commissioner, and retired as member Board of Revenue in 1994. Throughout his career, he signed all the official documents in Urdu. According to him, the new generation is drifting away from the national language and finding difficulty to read and write Urdu script.

He has an individuality which distinguishes him from his contemporaries. He is one of the defining poets of modern Urdu Ghazal from Pakistan. His work has been published in respected journals and magazines of Urdu literature since the early 60s. His style comprises strong expressions, with a whole-hearted commitment to the technical accuracy that has always been required of Ghazal writers. His unique style of poetry has earned recognition from respected literary critics of Pakistan and India.