APROPOS Rauf Parekh’s literary note, ‘Urdu writers and poets who died young’ (April 13), knocked my memory and I for the time being not only found myself in a time tunnel with prominent Urdu writers who are no more with us. but also countless verses of those poets get me into their world. There I met many others — both known and unknown — such as Asad Badayuni (1958-2003), Athar Nafees (1933-1980), Farid Javed (1927-1977), Jamal Ihsani (1951-1998), M.D. Taseer (1902-1950), Meer Hasan (1741-1786), Meera Jee (1912-1949), Mohsin Naqvi (1947-1996), Mustafa Zaidi (1929-1970), Nasir Kazmi (1923-1972), Qabil Ajmairi (1931-1962), Sabte Ali Saba (1935-1980), Saghir Siddiqui (1928-1974), Saleem Baitab (1940-1974), Sara Shagufta (1954-1984), Sarvat Hussain (1949-1996) and Anis Mouin.

I hope there may be other prominent Urdu writers who died before they could reach 50.

Aftab Soomro

Islamabad

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2015

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