PESHAWAR: Prominent research scholar, Hamish Khalil, 93, has urged the Pashto literati and linguists to improve quality of research keeping in view the availability of modern technology and media gadgets. He regretted that standard of research had gone down despite improvement in accessing primary sources and availability of digital tools.

Mr Khalil, however, appreciated poets and fiction and prose writers for playing an important role in shaping up ideas of people when it came to producing resistance literature in Pashto.

Old age didn’t dent his relentless efforts for the promotion of Pashto language and literature as he has contributed to Pashto fiction, poetry, prose, criticism, research, folklore and journalism.

The literary contributions of Mr Khalil are spread over six decades during which he has composed, penned, edited, researched and compiled over 60 books. Being a prolific writer, he has recently brought out his Sufi poetic volume ‘Soghaat’ and also completed work on Pashto translation of short stories selected from world masterpieces. In addition, he has been contributing a regular column to a Pashto journal ‘Leekwaal’ on literary issues.

In an informal chat with this scribe, the eminent Pashto scholar said that he had suffered imprisonments with Bacha Khan on several occasions for the cause of Pashto and Pakhtun nation, but when he knew that his political activities were the main hurdle to promoting his cause; he separated himself from active politics.

Recalling his past, Mr Khalil said that he got inspiration from late Nasrullah Khan Nasr who had created a literary organisation Pakhto Adabi Tolay in 1943. Mr Nasr was responsible for increasing the use of Pashto in all domains and groomed young Hamish Khalil where he did his graduation and also enabled him to bring out his maiden Pashto poetry collection titled ‘Naghmazaar’ in 1948. It was followed by his other poetic publications – ‘Zama Sandaray’, ‘Khapoona auo Kaloona’ and a short stories book ‘Chaargul’.

Mr Khalil’s work has been on old Pashto manuscripts and classical literature that came round to over 50 books. He said he had contributed numerous articles and research papers to countless journals and newspapers. The ‘Da Qalam Khawandaan’, a directory of Pashto literati from mid-18th century to late 20th century containing complete profiles of about 3,000 poets and writers, and ‘Jangi Charbety’(war poems) are his other research documents.

Answering a query, Mr Khalil said that Maulana Abdul Qadir, the founder director of Pashto Academy, once offered him a job but he refused to join the academy because he thought his employment would cause harm to the research work of the academy owing to his political affiliations.

About standardisation of Pashto script, he said an agreed standard Pashto script was need of the hour. He said the Baragali Pashto script agreed upon in 1990 by Pak-Afghan writers and linguists had resolved many issues and a few remaining issues could be resolved if serious efforts were made.

Mr Khalil has done a commendable work on children’s literature. “I am pleased to know that Pakhtun woman writers run their own organisation and also hold regular sessions. Woman’s voice is a must for a progressive society,” he maintained. He said he wanted the poets and writers to spread peace, tolerance and book culture.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2019