Fakhar Zaman (poet)

Fakhar Zaman ( ur, فخر زمان) was the chairman of the Pakistan Academy of Letters from 11 May 2008 to 12 March 2012, when Abdul Hameed replaced him as the next appointed chairman of the body. A leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the chairman of the ''World Punjabi Congress'',Fakhar Zaman urges national consensus
Dawn (newspaper), Published 1 November 2007, Retrieved 29 March 2018 he has also been playing a notable role in politics to achieve his sociopolitical ideals.

He is a celebrated Pakistani writer who is author of 40 books in Punjabi, Urdu and English. His Punjabi novels and poetry have been translated into several major languages of the world and are taught at post-graduate level in different countries for students seeking PhD and M.Phil degrees. Thesis have been written on his Punjabi writings in India. Five of his Punjabi books including his modern classic novel "Bandiwan" (The Prisoner), were banned, forcibly lifted from book stores and burned publicly by the military government in 1978 and after a long drawn litigation, the ban was lifted after 18 years.

He has received several international and national awards including the Hilal-e-Imtiaz and Sitara-e-Imtiaz awards by the Pakistan government, ''Shiromani Sahitak Award'' from the Indian government and the Millennium Award for Best Punjabi Novelist of the 20th century.

Fakhar Zaman has been a Minister in Benazir Bhutto’s government, a senator and two-time Chairman of the Pakistan Academy of Letters. Presently he is the Chairman of World Punjabi Congress and International Sufi Council.

Early life

Fakhar Zaman was born in Gujrat, Punjab in a Jatt family. His father, Major Muhammad Zaman was a known social and political figure of Punjab of his time. He was educated in Mission High School, Gujrat and did his BA degree from The Zamindar College, Gujrat. After doing his masters degree in social works and a degree in Law, Post Graduate Diploma in International Affairs, he spent some time in Netherlands where he did post graduate studies in Social Welfare and International Relations and obtained certificate in International Law from the International Court of Justice.

He published and edited a monthly English magazine namely "The Voice" which was folded by Ayub Khan’s military regime. Subsequently he edited a monthly Urdu magazine "Bazgasht" which was also banned during Zia-ul-Haq period. His Punjabi weekly "Wangaar" was also banned by the military regime.

Political career

Fakhar Zaman joined the PPP of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in 1970. He served as honorary political adviser to Begum Nusrat Bhutto from 1973 to 1977 and was elected Senator in 1977. He was appointed President of the Cultural wing of PPP by Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto in 1984. He was appointed Vice President of PPP (Punjab) from 1987 to 1989 and President of PPP (Punjab) during 1989–1993 period. He has been on the ''Central Executive Committee'' of PPP in the past. He was President of PPP ''Policy and Planning Committee'' (Punjab) from 1996 to 2002. He was appointed chairman, ''National Commission on History and Culture'' (1993–96) and chairman, Pakistan Academy of Letters and Minister for Culture during the same period. Then he was again appointed chairman, PAL from 2008 to 2011.

Minister of Culture

Fakhar Zaman attended UNESCO conferences in Paris during this period. He was the architect of first ever Cultural Policy of Pakistan promulgated in 1995.

Post-Martial Law

Fakhar Zaman's five books were banned by the Military Regime of General Zia-UL-Haq, forcibly lifted from the book shops and burnt publicly. After a litigation of 18 years, the ban was lifted by Lahore High Court in 1996.

In 1984, he spent a few months in Stockholm University, Sweden attending seminars and lecturing on social sciences. He writes in Urdu