Remembered: Qateel Shifai’s death anniversary observed

ISLAMABAD: The 15th death anniversary of renowned Urdu poet and lyricist Qateel Shifai was observed on Monday across the country.

Muhammad Aurangzeb, known as Qateel Shifai through his pen name, was born in Haripur in 1919 and passed away on July 11, 2001.

Besides ghazals and geet, Qateel also penned film songs.

He was given awards in recognition of his contributions to literature.

His poetry collection “Mutriba” is considered literary masterpiece.

The Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) Chairperson, Dr Qasim Bughio, said, Qateel was among few poets of the 20th century who gained international recognition.

“Qateel produced unmatchable works including ghazals and poems, and gave life to the film industry through disseminating the message of love and deep philosophy of life,” he said.

He said Qateel’s name would be remembered in the literary history of India and Pakistan for a long time.

Renowned literary critic Prof Fateh Muhammad Malik termed Qateel a blessed lyricist who took the genre of song writing to new heights.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 12^th, 2016.