Zahida Hina is a well-known Pakistani Urdu columnist, essayist, short story writer, novelist, and dramatist.
Early Life and Education
Zahida was born in India; upon Pakistan’s independence in 1947, her father, Muhammad Abul Khair, immigrated to Pakistan and settled in Karachi, where Zahida was raised and homeschooled until she began her formal education in 7th grade at Happy Home School. When she was nine years old, she penned her first story. She graduated from the University of Karachi, and her first essay was published in the periodical Insha in 1962.
In her mid-60s, she decided to pursue a career in journalism. She married the well-known poet Jaun Elia in 1970. Zahida Hina worked for the Daily Jang from 1988 to 2005, following which she moved to the Daily Express in Pakistan. She is now a resident of Karachi. Hina has also worked for Radio Pakistan, the BBC Urdu service, and the Voice of America.
Since 2006, she has written a weekly piece called Pakistan Diary in Rasrang, the Sunday magazine of Dainik Bhaskar, India’s most widely read Hindi daily.
Work
Zahida Hina has written over 2,000 journalistic pieces. Many of her short stories have been translated into English, Bengali, Hindi, and Marathi. Her significant titles include:
- Qaidi sans leta hai (collection of short stories)
- Titlian dhondhne wali (collections of stories)
- Raqs-i-bismil hai (collections of stories)
- Rah main ajal hai (collection of short stories)
- Na junoon raha na pari rahi (short novel)
- Dard ka Shajar (Novel)
- Dard-e-Ashob (Novel)
- Zard Paton ka ban (TV Drama)
- The House of Loneliness (Zahida Hina’s short stories translated into English)
She is a vocal opponent of nuclear power for any reason (military or civilian).
Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Samina Rahman, and Muhammad Umar Memon have translated her books into English.
Awards
- Faiz Award
- Literary Performance Award
- Saghir Siddiqui Adabi Award
- K. P. Award
- Sindh Speaker Award
- SAARC Literary Award in 2001 by the President of India
In August 2006, she was nominated for Pakistan’s highest honour, the Presidential Award for Pride of Performance, which she withdrew in protest of Pakistan’s military government.