Nawabzada Mirza Jamiluddin Ahmed Khan PP, HI (20 January 1925 – 23 November 2015), also known as Jamiluddin Aali or Aaliji, was a Pakistani poet, critic, playwright, essayist, columnist, and scholar.

Early life and career

Nawabzada Mirza Jamiluddin Ahmad Khan was born in

Delhi, India Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

on 20 January 1925. His father Amiruddin Ahmed Khan was Nawab of

Loharu Loharu (also known as Luharu) is a city, municipal committee and assembly constituency in the Bhiwani district of the Indian state of Haryana. It is the administrative headquarters of one of the four administrative sub-divisions of the distric ...

and his mother Syeda Jamila Baigum was a direct descendant of

Khwaja Mir Dard Khwaja Mir Dard (1720-1785) ( ur, ) was a poet of the Delhi School and a Sufi saint of the Naqshbandi The Naqshbandi ( fa, نقشبندی)), Neqshebendi ( ku, نه‌قشه‌به‌ندی), and Nakşibendi (in Turkish) is a major Sunni ...

and was the fourth wife of Amiruddin Khan. Aali earned a BA in

Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...

from Anglo Arabic College, Delhi in 1944. In 1947 after the

partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

, Aali migrated to

Karachi, Pakistan 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 ...

on 13 August 1947 with his family and started his career as an assistant in the

Ministry of Commerce A Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry or variations is a ministry that is concerned with a nation's trade, industry and commerce. Notable examples are: List *Algeria: Ministry of Industry and M ...

. In 1951, he passed the CSS (

civil service of Pakistan The Central Superior Services (CSS; or Civil Service) is a permanent elite civil service authority, and the civil service that is responsible for running the bureaucratic operations and government secretariats and directorates of the Cabinet of ...

) examination and joined the Pakistan Taxation Service. He was also the Officer on

Special Duty Special Duty (foaled 12 February 2007) is a British-bred, French-trained champion Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She won two of her four starts as a two-year-old including the Group One Cheveley Park Stakes and the Group Two Prix Robert ...

at President House from 1959 to 1963. Aali joined the

National Bank of Pakistan National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) () is a Pakistani government-owned multinational commercial bank which is a subsidiary of State Bank of Pakistan. It is headquartered in Karachi, Pakistan. As of September 2020, it has 1,511 branches across Pakist ...

in 1967 and remained its

vice president A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

until his retirement in 1988. In 1971, he obtained an FEL and LLB (law) degree from the

University of Karachi The University of Karachi ( sd, ; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh (whic ...

. Jamiluddin Aali was also a former member of the

Pakistan Peoples Party The Pakistan People's Party ( ur, , ; PPP) is a centre-left, social-democratic political party in Pakistan. It is currently the third largest party in the National Assembly and second largest in the Senate of Pakistan. The party was founded ...

and was compelled to contest the 1977

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

elections from NA-191, but lost to Munawwar Hasan of Jamaat-e-Islami. In 1997, Aali was elected as a member of the Senate for a six-year term with support from the

Muttahida Qaumi Movement Muttahida Qaumi Movement (abbreviated MQM) is a name currently claimed by two competing Pakistani political factions: * Muttahida Qaumi Movement – London, a political faction managed from the UK * Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan Muttah ...

. Jamiluddin Aali was never very clear nor comfortable answering the question as to why he drifted briefly into politics. Aali started composing poetry at an early age and wrote many books as well as songs. He wrote the song "Jeevay Jeevay Pakistan" during the

1965 Indo-Pak war The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 or the Second Kashmir War was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. The conflict began following Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, which was d ...

which became highly popular. The song was sung by Shahnaz Begum with music arranged by

Sohail Rana Sohail Rana (born 31 March 1938) is a Pakistani music composer for films and television. He was introduced by actor Waheed Murad in Pakistan film industry and gained popularity when singer Ahmed Rushdi sang his compositions in such films as A ...

and was originally released on 14 August 1971 by PTV. During

International Women's Year International Women's Year (IWY) was the name given to 1975 by the United Nations. Since that year March 8 has been celebrated as International Women's Day, and the United Nations Decade for Women, from 1976 to 1985, was also established. Hist ...

(1976), Aali wrote the song "Hum Maain, Hum Behnain, Hum Baitiyan". He wrote the song "Jo Nam Wohi Pehchan, Pakistan" at the request of former Pakistani President

Ghulam Ishaq Khan Ghulam Ishaq Khan ( ur, غلام اسحاق خان; 20 January 1915 – 27 October 2006), was a Pakistani bureaucrat who served as the seventh president of Pakistan, elected in 1988 following Zia's death until his resignation in 1993. He wa ...

in 1986. He also wrote the song "Mera Inam Pakistan" by

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan ( pa, ; born Pervez Fateh Ali Khan; 13 October 1948 – 16 August 1997) was a Pakistani singer, songwriter, and music director. He was primarily a singer of qawwali — a form of Sufi music, Sufi devotional music. ...

Personal life

Aali married Tayyba Bano in 1944. He had three sons and two daughters.

Death

Aali died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

on 23 November 2015 in Karachi. His Namaz-I-Janazah was held in the mosque "Tooba" in

DHA, Karachi The Defence Housing Authority (DHA), Karachi ( ur, ), formerly Pakistan Defence Officers Cooperative Housing Society, is a residential neighbourhood or a housing society located within Clifton Cantonment of Karachi. It was originally establishe ...

. He was buried in an army graveyard at Bizerta Lines, Karachi on 23 November 2015.

Literary work and activities

Aali became honorary secretary of the

Anjuman-i Taraqqi-i Urdu Anjuman-i Taraqqi-i Urdu ( ur, ; ''Organisation for the Progress of Urdu'') was an organisation working for the promotion and dissemination of Urdu language, literature and culture in British India. After the partition of India, the separated ...

(Association for the Promotion of Urdu Language) in 1962 after the death of Baba-e-Urdu

Maulvi Abdul Haq Maulvi Abdul Haq ( ur, ) (20 April 1870 – 16 August 1961) was a scholar and a linguist, whom some call '' Baba-e-Urdu'' ( ur, ) (''Father of Urdu''). Abdul Haq was a champion of the Urdu language and the demanded for it to be made the nat ...

and played a key role there for many years, along with

Farman Fatehpuri Farman Fatehpuri ( ur, ) (born Syed Dildar Ali ( ur, ), 26 January 1926 – 3 August 2013) was an Urdu linguist, researcher, writer, critic and scholar of Pakistan. He is widely regarded as a leading authority on the life and work of ...

, to ensure that the association survives and grows. Aali could also be given credit for playing a major role at the Urdu Lughat Board (Urdu Dictionary Board) when this 22-volume Urdu dictionary was being developed in Pakistan. Ballads collection * ''Aye Mere Dasht-e-Sukhan'' * ''Ghazlain Dohay Geet'' (six editions) * ''Jeeway Jeeway Pakistan'' (five editions) * ''La Hasil'' (three editions) * ''Nai Kiran'' Couplets collection * ''Dohay'' (three editions in Urdu and one in Devnagari) Aali showed his real potential and creativity in his ''dohas''. Travel literature * ''Duniya Mere Aagye'' * ''Tamasha Mere Aagye'' * ''Iceland'' (a travelogue of Iceland) * ''Hurfay'' (four books)

Songs

* "Aye Watan Ke Sajelay Jawanoo" (sung originally by

Noor Jehan Noor Jehan ( Punjabi: ) (born () Allah Rakhi Wasai ; 23 September 1926 – 23 December 2000; sometimes spelled Noorjehan),Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen, ''Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema,'' British Film Institute, Oxford University Pres ...

during the 1965 war between India and

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

) * "Jeevay Jeevay Pakistan" (sung by Shahnaz Begum originally in 1968, released by PTV on 14 August 1971) * "Hum Mustafavi Mustafavi Hain" (official song of 1974

Islamic Summit french: Sommet islamique de l'Organisation de la coopération islamique , logo = , logo_size = , logo_alt = , logo_caption = , image = OIC_Logo_since_2011.svg , image_size ...

Conference at

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

), Pakistan (1974) * "Mein Chota Sa Ek Larka Hoon" * "Mera Paigham Pakistan" (sung by

) (1996) * "Ab Yeh Andaz-e-Anjuman Hoga" * "Hum Maain, Hum Behnain, Hum Baitiyan" (1976) * "Jo Naam Wahi Pehchan, Pakistan Pakistan" (1986) * "Aye Des Ki Hawaao, Kushboo Mein Bas Ke Jao" (1972) * "Itne Bare Jewan Sagar Mein, Tu Ne Pakistan Diya" (sung by folk singer

Allan Faqir Allan Fakir (1932– 4 July 2000) ( Sindhi: ''علڻ فقيرُ'', Urdu: ''علن فقیر''), was a Pakistani folk singer. He was particularly known for his ecstatic style of performance, marked with extreme devotional rhetoric and Sufi dance-si ...

) * "Yeh Kavita Pakistani Hai" (sung by

Nighat Seema Nighat Seema was a Pakistani radio and film singer during the era of 60s and 70s. She is known for singing semi-classical songs, ghazals, and playback singing. She was the mother of music composer Ahsan Ali Taj. Early life and family Seema was ...

)

Awards

Hilal-e-Imtiaz The ''Hilaal-e-Imtiaz'' (; ), also spelled and transliterated as Hilāl-e-Imtiyāz, is the second-highest (in the hierarchy of "Hilal") Awards and decorations of the Pakistan military, civilian award and honour given to both civilians and milit ...

(Crescent of Excellence) Award (2004) by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance ( ur, ), officially known as Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sports, an ...

(1991) by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.Adamjee Literary Award Adamjee Literary Award, also known as Adamjee Prize, is a literary award bestowed by the government of Pakistan. It is presented by the president. The award seeks to recognize those people who have made "meritorious contribution" to the literature ...

(1960) * Dawood Literary Award (1963) * United Bank Literary Award (1965) * Habib Bank Literary Award (1965) * Canadian Urdu Academy Award (1988) * Sant Kabeer Award – Urdu Conference Delhi (1989) * Urdu Markaz New York "Nishan-e-Urdu" Award, in the First International Urdu Conference at UNO on 24 June 2000.

References

External links

Aali Jee's Poetic Framework
Professor Dr. Saadat Saeed, Urdu Chair,

Ankara University Ankara University ( tr, Ankara Üniversitesi) is a public university in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in Turkey after the formation of the republic in 1923. The university has 40 vocat ...

, Turkey {{DEFAULTSORT:Aali, Jamiluddin 1925 births 2015 deaths People from Delhi Muhajir people Pakistani scholars Pakistani dramatists and playwrights Pakistani essayists Pakistani columnists Pakistan People's Party politicians Urdu-language poets from Pakistan Pakistani civil servants Delhi University alumni University of Karachi alumni Members of the Senate of Pakistan Recipients of Hilal-i-Imtiaz Recipients of the Pride of Performance People of British India Poets from Karachi Journalists from Karachi Politicians from Karachi Muttahida Qaumi Movement politicians Urdu-language travel writers Urdu-language dramatists and playwrights Urdu-language essayists 20th-century Urdu-language writers Pakistani songwriters Recipients of the Adamjee Literary Award Pakistani travel writers