Daily Times

The 18th death anniversary of literary scholar and poet Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi was observed on Wednesday. He was born on November 20, 1916, in Anga village of Khushab. He was given Pride of Performance, Pakistan Academy of Letters’ lifetime achievement award as well as the country’s highest civil award, Sitara-i-Imtiaz. Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi also worked as a script writer for Radio Pakistan. He died at the age of 89 on July 10 in 2006 in Lahore. He wrote about 50 books on poetry, journalism, fiction and art, He was an editor and publisher of a literary magazine ‘Funoon’ and newspaper editor for ‘Imroze’ as well. He also wrote for national newspapers. He wrote both ghazals and nazms. He published collections of his best-known work, including poetry volumes Jalal-o-Jamal, Shola-i-Gul and Kisht-i-Wafa, besides short story collections Chopaal, Sannata, and Kapaas ka Phool, Bagolay, Tal-o-Gharoob, Sailab-o-Gardab, Anchal, Ghar se Ghar tak. Humanism was a distinguishing characteristic of his poetry. He actively participated in the Progressive Writers Movement as a secretary and was arrested many occasions in the 1950s and 1970s.