Punjabi, two of which were collections of his poetry written in Punjabi.
He wrote book reviews for the ''
Daily Jang
The ''Daily Jang'' ( ur, ) is an Urdu newspaper headquartered in Karachi, Pakistan. It is the oldest newspaper of Pakistan in continuous publication since its foundation in 1939, first published during World War II, hence the name (Jang) translat ...
'' right up until his death, which were described by art critic
Quddus Mirza
Quddus Mirza is a Pakistani art critic, artist, and art educator based in Lahore. As an art critic, his writings have been published in national and international newspapers and magazines.(Fareeha QayoomProfile of Quddus Mirza on TKFR Art we ...
writing in ''artnow'' as "frank, candid and cruel to some extent".
Awards and recognition
Shafi Aqeel received a number of awards for his work during his lifetime:
* ''Dawood Literary Prize'' by the Pakistan Writers' Guild in 1968
*''Habib Literary Prize'' by the Pakistan Writers' Guild in 1976
* ''Best Book Award'' by the Pakistan Book Council in 1977
*
Khushal Khan Khattak
Khošāl Khān Khaṭak (1613 – 25 February 1689; Pashto: خوشال خان خټک), also known as Khushal Baba ( ps, خوشال بابا), was a Pashtun poet, chief, and warrior. Khushal Khan served the Mughal Empire protecting them fr ...
Award,
Government of Punjab, Pakistan
The Government of the Punjab ( ur, ), is the provincial government of the Pakistani province of Punjab. It is based in Lahore, the provincial capital. Its powers and structure are set out in the provisions of the Constitution, in which 41 distr ...
in 1990
* ''Sir Abdul Qadir Award'' by the International Urdu Conference, India in 1990
* ''Award of Services to the Cause of Freedom of the Press'' by the Karachi Union of Journalists in 1995
* ''Best Book Award'' by the
Government of Punjab, Pakistan
The Government of the Punjab ( ur, ), is the provincial government of the Pakistani province of Punjab. It is based in Lahore, the provincial capital. Its powers and structure are set out in the provisions of the Constitution, in which 41 distr ...
for the book ''Sassi Punoon-Hashim Shah'' in 2002
*
Tamgha-e-Imtiaz
Tamgha-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Tamgha-i-Imtiaz, is a state-organised honour of Pakistan. It is given to any civilian in Pakistan based on their achievements. While it is a civilian/military award, it can be bestowed upon officers of the P ...
(Medal of Excellence) 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.[Karachi Press Club
The Karachi Press Club (KPC @pressclubkhi) ( ur, ) is an organization of the community of the journalists. It also takes account of academics, business people and people from the public service. Karachi Press Club was the first press club that w ...]
in 2005
Personal life
Shafi Aqeel lived a life of celibacy and never got married, about which he said; "The charm of words, though they sit in black on paper, was so absorbing that I did not find time to look elsewhere hard enough".
Death and tributes
Aqeel passed away at the age of 83 on 7 September 2013. He worked with
Daily Jang
The ''Daily Jang'' ( ur, ) is an Urdu newspaper headquartered in Karachi, Pakistan. It is the oldest newspaper of Pakistan in continuous publication since its foundation in 1939, first published during World War II, hence the name (Jang) translat ...
newspaper for almost sixty years, and was in charge of its literary magazine.
He was buried in the cemetery in
Paposhnagar,
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 ...
, Pakistan.
Poet and researcher
Aqeel Abbas Jafari
Aqeel Abbas Jafri ( ur, ) (born August 10, 1957 in Karachi, Pakistan), is a Pakistani writer, poet and architect and chief editor of Urdu Dictionary Board in Pakistan.
Works
Jafri spent 20 years compiling and writing Pakistan Chronicle
' ...
said of Shafi Aqeel, "
ewas an amiable man. He admired people with intellect. The fact that he remained associated with one organisation
angfor 63 years is a feat in itself. He was a selfless individual too, which is why after his brother-in-law died, he decided not to marry to support his sister."
Former editor of
Daily Jang
The ''Daily Jang'' ( ur, ) is an Urdu newspaper headquartered in Karachi, Pakistan. It is the oldest newspaper of Pakistan in continuous publication since its foundation in 1939, first published during World War II, hence the name (Jang) translat ...
newspaper
Mahmood Shaam
Mahmood Shaam ( ur, ) born Tariq Mahmood ( ur, ) on 5 February 1940, is a Pakistani Urdu language journalist, poet, writer and news analyst.
After serving Pakistan's largest newspaper Jang Group for more than 16 years continuously as Group ...
and professor
Sahar Ansari Sahar Ansari, TI (Urdu: سحر انصاری) (Born: 27 Dec 1939, Aurangabad, Maharashtra) is an Urdu poet and linguist from Karachi, Pakistan. He remained associated with the University of Karachi as Professor and Chairman of Urdu department.
Sah ...
also paid their tributes to him after his death.
Bibliography
*Popular Folk Tales of the Punjab (Translation:
Ahmad Bashir
Ahmad Bashir (Punjabi, Urdu: احمد بشیر; March 24, 1923 – December 25, 2004) was a writer, journalist, intellectual and film director from Pakistan. He was the father of leading television artists Bushra Ansari, Asma Abbas, Sumbal ...
)
[
*Pakistan ki Lok Dastanain / پاکستان کی لوک داستانیں
*Chaar Jadeed Musawwir / چار جدید مصور][
*Pakistan Kay Saat Musawwir / پاکستان کے سات مصور][
*Do Musawwir: Bashir Mirza aur Azar Zubi / دو مصور: بشیر مرزا اور آذر زوبی
*Namwar Adeebon aur Shayaron ka Bachpan / نامور ادیبوں اور شاعروں کا بچپن
*Musawwari aur Musawwir / مصوری اور مصور ][
*Cheeni Lok Kahaniyan / چینی لوک کہانیاں
*Irani Lok Kahaniyan / ایرانی لوک کہانیاں][
*Punjab kay Paanch Qadeem Sha'ir / پنجاب کے پانچ قدیم شاعر
*Sochaan di Zanjeer (collection of Punjabi poetry)][
]
References
External links
Aqeel on Goodreads
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aqeel, Shafi
1930 births
2013 deaths
Pakistani male journalists
Urdu-language columnists
Pakistani writers
Pakistani magazine editors
Pakistani art critics
Urdu-language translators
People from Lahore
Punjabi-language poets
Recipients of Tamgha-e-Imtiaz