Agha Saleem (born Agha Khalid Saleem; 7 April 1935 – 12 April 2016) was a Pakistani writer, novelist, playwright and poet. He work was primarily focused on fiction writing, novels, dramas, regional films and travel literature. He is also credited for translating
Sindhi language
Sindhi ( ; , ) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by about 30 million people in the Pakistani province of Sindh, where it has official status. It is also spoken by a further 1.7 million people in India, where it is a Scheduled languages of India ...
Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai
Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai ( sd, شاھ عبداللطيف ڀٽائي, ur, ; 1689/1690 – 21 December 1752), commonly known by the honorifics ''Lakhino Latif'', ''Latif Ghot'', ''Bhittai'', and ''Bhit Jo Shah'', was a Sindhi Sufi mystic, an ...
primary schooling
Primary education or elementary education is typically the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary school. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first ...
from a school in his hometown. In 1948, he went to
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
and graduated from a public college called Government College Kali Mori (now Government College University Hyderabad) in 1958. He had two sons, including Agha Jamshed Khan and Agha Khudadad Khan and a daughter Agha Gul Zareen Khan.
Literary career
Agha started his career around 1957 to 1958. His first short story titled ''Ahh Ae Zalim Samaj'' (O, you cruel society) was published in 1958 when he graduated from the college. As a playwright, he started writing radio plays with Radio Pakistan after completing his education. His first novel titled ''Ondhahi Dharti Roshan Hath'a'' (Dark Land, Bright Hands) was published in 1972. The novel he wrote depicted
Indus Valley civilisation
The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form 2600 BCE to 1900&n ...
of Mohenjo-daro which primarily revolves around historical events of the civilisation till the
dominion of Pakistan
Between 14 August 1947 and 23 March 1956, Pakistan was an independent federal dominion in the Commonwealth of Nations, created by the passing of the Indian Independence Act 1947 by the British parliament, which also created the Dominion of I ...
created two new sovereign states India and Pakistan followed by the split of Indian subcontinent. His prominent novels included ''Oondahi Dharti'', ''Hamma Oast'' and ''Roshan Hath''. He was inspired by the political movement against
One Unit
The One Unit Scheme ( ur, ; bn, এক ইউনিট ব্যবস্থা) was a geopolitical programme launched by the Government of Pakistan led by Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Bogra on 22 November 1954 and passed on 30 September 1955 ...
, a geopolitical programme launched by the
government of Pakistan
The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provin ...
and was actively involved in
contentious politics
Contentious politics is the use of disruptive techniques to make a political point, or to change government policy. Examples of such techniques are actions that disturb the normal activities of society such as demonstrations, general strike action, ...
-writings and pro-democracy movement in an attempt for
mass mobilisation
Mass mobilization (also known as social mobilization or popular mobilization) refers to mobilization of civilian population as part of contentious politics. Mass mobilization is defined as a process that engages and motivates a wide range of partne ...
.
His first radio play titled ''Wapsi'' and ''Dodo Chanesar'' are recognized among the prominent ones. Later, he wrote more plays, including ''Roop Bahroop'', ''Gul Chhino Girnar Jo'', and ''Gulan Jahera Ghava''. His poetic series titled ''Pann Chhan Aeen Chand'' was published in 1986.
As an editor, he also worked for two local newspapers of that time such as ''Jaago'' and ''
Daily Sach
''Daily Sach'' (''SACH'') is an Indian Urdu-language daily newspaper published from Jammu, India founded in 1940 by Raja Mohammad Akbar Khan with roots in the Indian independence movement ("SACH" means Truth in Urdu), it was established with a p ...
''.
Work
Arrests
In 1978 he was arrested and later prosecuted under
martial law
Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory.
Use
Marti ...
for disrespecting the country's founder. The case was later dismissed after Qazi Muhammad Akbar, a Pakistani politician helped him get out of prison.
Awards
Death
Agha was suffering from heart complications and was under medical treatment at a hospital. He died of a heart stroke on 12 April 2016 in
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...