ISLAMABAD: Poet Iftikhar Arif on Tuesday said that Akhtar Usman was a great poet and had earned a good name in lamentation.

He was speaking at an event: “Meet a writer over a cup of tea” at Pakistan Academy of Letters.

A number of writers and literary figures participated in the event.

He said that Akhtar’s poetry showed the quality of creativity and a number of his poems touched people’s heart.

Akhtar Usman said that he was fond of classical poetry and literature.

“Even now-a-days I prefer to read Mir, Ghalib, Bedal, Khayam and Anees. I was born on April 4, 1969 in Islamabad and spent my childhood in Rawalpindi,” he said.

He said while he was a student of Intermediate, in 1985, Dr Ehsan Akbar guided him and took him to Halqa-i-Arbab-i-Zoke. He said later he became Secretary General of the Halqa.

“I got government job but got retirement on medical grounds in 1997. After that I started writing for different newspapers and became editorial in-charge,” he said.

In the end he recited his poems.

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2019