CM gives Rs0.5m cheque to ailing Seraiki poet

MULTAN: Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has announced that the provincial government will bear all treatment expenses of popular Seraiki poet Shakir Shujabadi, saying he is a great asset and proud of Pakistan. A financial assistance cheque worth Rs0.5 million was handed over to the poet on behalf of the CM by Punjab Agriculture Task Force chairman Malik Masood Awan here on Thursday. The CM, in his message, promised helping Shakir Shujaabadi by all means and directed Multan Deputy Commissioner Mudassar Riaz Malik to take measures for his medical treatment and provide job to his son. The CM has promised approaching the federal government for Shujaabadi’s treatment abroad. Shakir Shujabadi is a physically disabled Seraiki poet. Neither he can stand nor sit on his own but he manages the crowd of thousands by his poetry. He cannot speak properly due to his physical disability. He started to recite his thoughts at a local darbar (shrine). By the early 90s, he had achieved prominence in Seraiki culture. His first proper Mushaira was held in 1986. He headlined the All-Pakistan Mushaira held in 1991. The last Mushaira he attended was in 1994 before his condition got worse but he is still reciting. Some of his work has been translated into English by the Poetry Translation Centre.