Muhammad Izhar ul Haq is a Pakistani Urdu poet, columnist, and analyst. He has garnered national and worldwide recognition for his contributions to Urdu literature and journalism and has received a number of literary and national awards, including Pakistan’s highest civil award, the Pride of Performance, in 2008, for his achievements in the field of literature and poetry. He published five books of Urdu poetry. He currently writes a column called ”Talkh Nawai” in the Daily 92 News.
Early Life and Education
Muhammad Izhar ul Haq was born on 14 February 1948 in the village Jhendial, in the western most district of Punjab, Attock, and received his early education from his grandfather and father. His grandfather, Ghulam Muhammad, was a well-known scholar and lawyer of his time who taught Persian literature and language. Muhammad Izhar ul Haq’s father, Hafiz Muhammad Zahoor ul Haq , was a renowned scholar who wrote a number of books in Persian and Urdu, which included poetry and prose.
Muhammad Izhar ul Haq continued to study Persian literature and Arabic at home throughout his school and college years. He graduated with a Roll of Honour from the government college Rawalpindi. He won a Federal Government Inter-wing fellowship to pursue his MA in Economics at Dhaka University. Later, as an external candidate, he earned an MA in Arabic from Punjab University and also learned Uzbek from Afghan Uzbeks.
Civil Services Career
He joined the Pakistan Civil Services in 1972 as a result of the Central Superior Services Competitive Examination. He rose to the highest level of the bureaucracy. After serving as Military Accountant General of Pakistan and later as Additional Secretary Military Finance, he retired in 2008 as Additional Auditor General of Pakistan, a position similar in status to Federal Secretary.
Journalism Career
Muhammad Izhar ul Haq has been writing columns on economic, political, and literary problems in the country’s leading dailies. His columns have appeared in the Daily Nation, Daily The News, Bangladesh Today, and Holiday International Dhaka. He also contributes to Australian print media occasionally. His articles have appeared in The Age and Eureka Street.
Contributions to Urdu Language
Izhar ul Haq has also worked with the National Language Authority on research for the implementation of Urdu in Pakistan, and he was one of the compilers of the Qaumi English-Urdu Dictionary, which was published by the National Language Authority. He also collaborated with the Pakistan Academy of Letters in compiling a yearly selection of Pakistani literature.
Poetry
Muhammad Izhar ul Haq is regarded as a trendsetter in modern Urdu ghazal. His debut work, Diwaar-e-aab (1982), got the Adam Jee prize, the country’s top literary honour at the time. Ghadr and Pari-zaad, his two subsequent books of Urdu poetry, were published in 1986 and 1995, respectively. In 2003, his fourth work, Paani pe Bichaa Takht, received yet another honour, the Allama Iqbal Medal.
Awards and Honours
Muhammad Izhar ul Haq received the Pride of Performance award from the government of Pakistan in 2008 for his contributions to Urdu literature and poetry. In 2017, Islamabad’s Capital Development Authority named its library “Gosha-e-Izhar” after Muhammad Izhar ul Haq’s literary contribution.
Personal Life
Muhammad Izhar ul Haq has three sons and two daughters and resides in Islamabad and Melbourne with his wife, Zahida Shaheen.