Ata ul Haq Qasmi عطا الحق قاسمی |
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Born |
Amritsar, Punjab, British India |
February 1, 1943
Residence | Lahore, Pakistan |
Nationality | Pakistani |
Occupation |
Columnist, Journalist, Former Ambassador , Former Professor of Urdu Literature |
Known for | witty columns in newspapers |
Children | Yasir Pirzada, Pirzada Muhammad Omar Qasmi Pirzada Muhammad Ali Usman Qasmi |
Ata ul Haq Qasmi (Urdu: عطا الحق قاسمی) is a Pakistani Urdu language newspaper columnist and poet. He has written many articles on different subjects for the leading newspapers of Pakistan.
Qasmi was born in Amritsar, Punjab, British India in 1943. His father Maulana Baha ul Haq Qasmi used to teach at MAO High School and MAO College in Amritsar. After independence of Pakistan in 1947, his family migrated to Pakistan and first settled in Wazirabad and later moved to Lahore where he finished his high school. He then graduated from MAO College, Lahore. He first joined the Urdu language newspaper Nawa-i-Waqt as a sub-editor where the renowned journalist Majid Nizami was the editor. Later he started writing columns for Daily Jang and many other newspapers.
The most distinguished character of Qasmi's column is his satire on social inequalities of the society and his anti-dictatorship stance which he boldly takes in his columns. He has a unique style of writing compared to any other columnist due to the humorous way he handles even the serious issues in the country. He served as the Ambassador of Pakistan in Norway and Thailand from 1997 to 1999. His books and newspaper columns include "Column Tamam", "Shar Goshiyan", "Hansna Rona Mana Hay", "Mazeed Ganjey Farishtey and many more while his TV Drama Serials include the most popular PTV TV dramas Khawaja and Son (1988), "Shab Daig" and "Sheeda Taili". His travelogues Shoq-e-Awargi and Goron kay des mein are widely read and popular among the readers. In early 2015, he was serving as the honorary Chairman of the Lahore Arts Council, Lahore, Pakistan.