KARACHI: Khatem hua afsana bhi (end of a story), a posthumous poetry collection from known poet Mobarak Mongori, was launched at the Sadeqain Institute of Art on Wednesday. Among those who recalled the popular poet and read papers about his person and poetry included Jamiluddin Aali, Prof Shahid Hasan, Jazib Qureshi and Raghib Moradabadi, who also presided over the proceedings.

Dr Peerzada Qasim who had admired Mobarak for his amiable nature and most polished manners as also his satirical verses had sent a paper on the subject as he could not appear personally. Prof Azfer Rizvi talked about the late poet and made an emotional speech in favour of Urdu recalling the latter’s verse Khuda ke liye hum say Urdu na chheeno, written in 1972 in Karachi. A well-written paper also came from Ms Rukhsana Saba.

Prof Shahida Hasan and Jazib Qureshi both in their comprehensive papers described the literary value of Mobarak’s poetry. The poet had suffered the trauma of two migrations — first from India to East Pakistan and secondly from Bangladesh to Pakistan. Coming from an Urdu-speaking middle class family, he was deeply entrenched in the feudal values and the culture gentility and politeness.

The late Mobarak’s earlier four poetry collections were published in 1984, 1994, 1994 and 2002, the last being a long poem describing the trauma of killings and the ravages seen after Dhaka fall.

Among those who paid their compliments to Mubarak Mongori in their verses included Raghib Muradabadi, Amir-ul-Islam Hashmi, Mobarak’s son Iqbal Majeedi and Jamal Ahmad Jamal. Javed Manzer did the compering.—HA