KARACHI, July 11: Noted man of letters Jamal Panipati died on Sunday evening. He was 78. He was admitted to hospital over two weeks back when he suffered his third heart attack. He was twice put on the ventilator during his illness. His funeral prayers were offered at Masjid Farooq-i-Azam in Federal B Area, Block 13. He was buried in the Sakhi Hasan graveyard on Sunday night. Soyem will be held on Tuesday between Asr and Maghrib prayers for men at Masjid Farooq-i-Azam and for women at B-4, Block 13, Federal B Area.

Exponent of the Mohammad Hasan Askari school of thought, Panipati was the last of contemporary scholars who set great store by traditional thought in Urdu literature.

He retired from the National Bank of Pakistan after a long stint.

The Anjuman Taraqui Urdu, Pakistan, on Monday held a condolence meeting in which the death of Panipati was termed a great loss of Urdu literature.

Paying tribute to him, participants of the meeting said Jamal Panipati’s contribution to the enrichment of Urdu literature would always be remembered.

“His books ‘Adab aur riwayat’, ‘Ikhtilaf kay pehlu’ and ‘Nafi say asbat tuk’ have received accolades from discerning men of letters,” they said.

The participants also spoke about their personal associations with the deceased. They observed that his death had created a vacuum in the world of Urdu literature which would not be filled soon.

They prayed that his soul might rest in peace.

Those who spoke at the meeting included Anjuman Taraqui Urdu honourary secretary Jamiluddin Aali, honorary deputy secretary Umrao Tariq, president Aftab Ahmed Khan, and honorary treasurer Syed Azfar Rizvi.