Literati felicitated on nomination for President’s award

PESHAWAR: A number of Pashto, Hindko and Urdu literati and literary jirgas from various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Karachi and Afghanistan have congratulated poets and writers on their nomination for the President’s Pride of Performance Award.

Literary bodies including Mrastial Malakand Leekwaal, Khyber Pakhto Jirga, Khwenday Adabi Lakhkar, Halqa-e-Arbab Zauq, Peshawar, Hamza Pakhto Adabi Jirga and writers and poets Prof Dr Sher Zaman Seemab, Gohar Ali Gohar, Prof Nasir Ali Syed, Zaitoon Bano and Prof Dr Zubair Hasrat have congratulated Prof Abasin Yousafzai, Prof Dr Yar Mohammad Maghmoom and late Rahmatullah Dard on their nominations for the prestigious award. The writers and poets in a joint statement showered accolades of praise on Prof Abasin Yousafzai, Prof Dr Yar Mohammad Maghmoom and late Rahmatullah Dard, saying that they had served Pashto literature and Pakhtuns through their powerful writings.

“Prof Abasin Yousafzai is really a great asset for the entire Pakhtun community because he has been providing selfless services to train and guide young men and women for the last several years. He deserves the President’s award,” fiction writer Zaitoon Bano said. The prestigious awards would be conferred on the literati on Pakistan Day (March 23) next year. Pashto poets and research scholars, Prof Abasin Yousafzai, Prof Dr Yar Mohammad Maghmoom and late Rahmatullah Dard have been nominated for the coveted President’s Pride of Performance Award in recognition of their immense contributions in the field of Pashto language and literature.

Prof Abasin Yousafzai’s popular poetry collections include Ghurzangoonga, (1994), Alwat (2005) and Maram (2016) and had the unique distinction of being the bestselling titles in the history of Pashto. Yousafzai has read out research papers in Gulf countries, Iran and Afghanistan and has been regularly appearing on TV and Radio literary shows and enjoys a widespread reputation for his clear vision. He not only actively participates in literary and cultural activities but also supervises and heads several literary and cultural organizations.

He has several poetry, prose and research books to his credit and enjoys large fans following in KP, Balochistan, Afghanistan, and Pakhtun diaspora living across the globe and quite known as a committed poet, writer and intellectual having mastery on various aspects of Pakhtun art, culture and literature. Prof Abasin Yousafzai has done his doctorate thesis on titled ‘Pakhtun Hamza: An analytical study on nationality of Hamza Shinwari from Pashto Academy, University of Peshawar.

In addition, he has contributed numerous features and columns to Pashto and Urdu newspapers and magazines and also has been grooming up budding poets and writers and currently leading Pohantoon Adabi Stori (PAS), a literary body of young students of colleges and universities.