PESHAWAR: The Gandhara Hindko Academy has published a book of ‘Charbaitas’ or special form of poetry of great Hindko mystic poet Sain Ghulam Deen Hazarvi.

The 130-page publication, “Hindko Charbaitay Dey Rango Rang Nadarey” has been penned by a distinguished writer, poet and scholar of Hindko language from Abbottabad, Hazara, Haider Zaman Haider. The 74-year-old Haider Zaman Haider has to his credit two earlier books on the subject.

These include 172-page “Saudagar Es Bazaar Da” published in 1988 and “192-page “Mashaal” brought into fine print in 1995. The total number of his books stands at 10.

The author has had the honour of translating the Holy Quran into Hindko language. Some of his other books are “Quran Fehmi”, “Mubarek Safr-i-Haj”, “Sajrey Phul”, “Tareekh-i-Turkaan” and “Shama Tey Patang”.

The book on ‘Charbaitas’ has been dedicated to Ghulam Jan Khan Tahirkheli, a journalist and worker of the Pakistan Movement, and Rafique Ahmad Khan.

“The book is a credible reference for the Hindko language researchers. It had become out of print. This is why the Gandhara Hindko Academy decided to republish it,” says Mohammad Ziauddin, a noted Hindko, writer, poet and research scholar, while recording his impressions in the initial part of the publication. He is general secretary of the Gandhara Hindko Board that runs the Gandhara Hindko Academy in Peshawar.

Mr Ziauddin says the Gandhara Hindko Academy, set up in Peshawar last year, will welcome and publish the research-based works of the Hindko writers from any part of the country.

Professor Sufi Abdul Rasheed, a senior writer, poet and researcher from Abbottabad, in the foreword to the book has mentioned briefly the related works.

He has praised the author and termed his book of the Hindko language classic literature.

Published in Dawn October 17th, 2016