PESHAWAR: Speakers at a seminar paid tribute to prominent researcher and writer Prof Dawar Khan Dawood, saying that his contribution to promotion of Pashto was unmatched.

“Prof Dawar has contributed a lot to biographies, criticism, book reviews, and translations from English literature to Pashto and vice versa and travelogue, and much of his work has now attained the level of classics,” said prominent educationist and writer Prof Yar Mohammad Maghmoom while addressing a seminar on Prof Dawar’s life and services here at Research Library Peshawar.

He highlighted Prof Dawar’s work in different fi elds of literature. He said that his critical and comprehensive book on Pashto Tapa (genre of folk poetry) had been published for 18 editions and due to the intrinsic value of his books most of these were included in curriculum of various universities.

“In addition to his contribution to Pashto transliteration, folklore, history and dictionary, he is a poet of sweet taste and many of his songs and Na’ats are famous in public,” he said.

“Prof Dawar, 75, is a multi- dimensional researcher, who studied and taught English literature, and contributed 17 research-based books and dozens of articles to Pashto and Urdu literature,” said writer Shah Aziz Mulazai. He said that Prof Dawar had won several literary awards, including the Presidential Pride of Performance in 2004, but his greatest award was his work on Pashto folklore, Pashto dictionary, Pashto idioms and proverbs, Pasto riddles and Pashto grammar, etc, which were being used by locals and foreigners.

Speakers term his contribution to promotion of Pashto unmatched

Pashto World Congress chairman Saleem Raz narrated his 50-year association with Prof Dawar and said that his contributions as a senior researcher of Pashto Adabi Board, as president of Rahman Adabi Jirga, and as an editor of Pashto monthly ‘Tatara’ would always be remembered.

He said: “Prof Dawar is an example for the so-called Pakhtun leadership who never contributed to Pashto language during their rule and authority.”

Prof Dawar told the participants that he had spent much of his time on writing for school and college teachers on educational methodologies. “I think that is the excellent time I invested on my nation and language,” he said.

Former provincial minister and poet, Abdul Subhan Khan was the chief guest who appreciated the role of Research Library Peshawar in promoting peace through education and research. He paid tribute to the outstanding services of Prof Dawar for over 50 years.

Published in Dawn, November 17th, 2014