Ata ul Haq Qasmi
عطا الحق قاسمی
Born (1943-02-01) 1 February 1943[1]
Amritsar, Punjab, British India[2]
NationalityPakistani
Occupation(s)Columnist,
Journalist,
Former Ambassador,
Former Professor of Urdu Literature
Known forwitty columns in newspapers
ChildrenYasir Pirzada,[3]
Pirzada Muhammad Omar Qasmi
Pirzada Muhammad Ali Usman Qasmi

Ata ul Haq Qasmi (Punjabi, Urdu: عطا الحق قاسمی) is a Pakistani Urdu-language newspaper columnist, playwright and poet. He has written around twenty books and many articles on different subjects for the leading newspapers of Pakistan.[4]

Early life and career

Qasmi was born in Amritsar, Punjab, India in 1943. His family has Kashmiri roots.[5] His father Maulana Baha ul Haq Qasmi used to teach at MAO High School and MAO College in Amritsar.[2] After independence of Pakistan in 1947, his family migrated to Pakistan and first settled in Wazirabad and later moved to Lahore where he finished his high school. He then graduated from MAO College, Lahore.[2] He first joined the Urdu language newspaper Nawa-i-Waqt as a sub-editor where the renowned journalist Majid Nizami was the editor. Later he started writing columns for Daily Jang and many other newspapers.[2]

The most distinguished character of Qasmi's column is his satire on social inequalities of the society and his anti-dictatorship stance which he boldly takes in his columns. He has a unique style of writing compared to any other columnist due to the humorous way he handles even the serious issues in the country.[6]

He served as the Ambassador of Pakistan in Norway and Thailand from 1997 to 1999.[7] His books and newspaper columns include "Column Tamam", "Shar Goshiyan", "Hansna Rona Mana Hay", "Mazeed Ganjey Farishtey" and many more while his TV Drama Serials include the most popular PTV TV dramas Khawaja and Son (1988), "Shab Daig" and "Aap ka Khadim" popularly known by its character "Sheeda Taili". "Shab Daig" and "Sheeda Talli" were directed and produced by Mushtaque Choudhary. His travelogues Shoq-e-Awargi and Goron kay des mein are widely read and popular among the readers.[6] In early 2015, he was serving as the honorary Chairman of the Lahore Arts Council, Lahore, Pakistan.[7][8]

Veteran Pakistani journalist Altaf Gauhar had once named him the wittiest newspaper columnist in Pakistan. The well-known writer Mushtaq Ahmad Yusufi has called him the best newspaper columnist in the country. He has been working as a journalist for 52 years.[4][7][9]

In 2015, he was appointed Chairman for Pakistan Television Corporation, a state-owned institution, where he served till December 2017.[7][9][6] He has been associated and involved with Pakistani television for over 35 years as a playwright.[7]

Awards and recognition

References

  1. ↑ Poetry of Ata ul Haq Qasmi on rekhta.org website Retrieved 19 May 2019
  2. 1 2 3 4 Profile of Ata ul Haq Qasmi on wordpress.com website Retrieved 19 May 2019
  3. ↑ Yasir Pirzada (son of Ata ul Haq Qasmi) on pakistanherald.com website Archived 1 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 19 May 2019
  4. 1 2 Profile of Ata ul Haq Qasmi on Pakistan Times (newspaper) Retrieved 19 May 2019
  5. ↑ Shahab Ansari (20 February 2018), "Ataul Haq Qasmi debunks myths about his state TV stint" The News International (newspaper). Retrieved 19 May 2019
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Profile of Ata ul Haq Qasmi on hipinpakistan.com website Retrieved 19 May 2019
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Profile of Ata ul Haq Qasmi on Pakistan Press Foundation website Retrieved 19 May 2019
  8. ↑ "Lahore Arts Council ( Ata ul Haq Qasmi, chairman, Board of Governors and other Members)". Lahore Arts Council website. October 2013. Archived from the original on 2 November 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  9. 1 2 Ata ul Haq Qasmi appointed Chairman of Pakistan Television Corporation on Aaj TV website Archived 8 September 2019 at the Wayback Machine Published 31 Dec 2015, Retrieved 19 May 2019
  10. ↑ Ata ul Haq Qasmi's Hilal-i-Imtiaz Award info listed on Dawn (newspaper) Published 24 March 2014, Retrieved 19 May 2019
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