KARACHI: Prof Azhar Qadri was the guest of the evening at Irteqa Adbi Forum on Sunday. To eulogise his erstwhile teacher, Shafiq Ahmad Shafiq had come with his book, a compilation of the learned professor’s literary essays, including his own article on him.

Azhar Qadri spent most of his academic career in the former East Pakistan. He did his MA in Urdu and tried in different genres of literature.

A poet, a fiction writer, with a novel to his credit, he had edited literary journals and also wrote critical essays in English.

Honest to the core, a modest person, Azhar Qadri refused to entertain any favour from the government even when offered, his biographer SAS contended.

Better known for his critical writings, a genre enriched by such luminaries as Prof Ehtesham Hussain and Prof. Mumtaz Hussain, A. Q. did not care to collect and compile his published articles. A thin volume‘Fikro-Fun Ke Moharrekat’, carrying 15 brief essays, was all that SAS could do. Another volume was to appear sometime later, he wrote in the introductory note.

Among those who spoke on the occasion included Jamal Naqvi, Saher Ansari, Rauf Niazi, Riaz Siddiqui and Anwer Ahsen Siddiqui. The latter three had written fill length articles on A.Q’s ideological commitment, a Marxist thinker as he is. His clarity of thought and lucid prose was admired by everyone.

A. Q. said all that he wanted was a better human order and respect for all living souls in the world.—Hasan Abidi