PESHAWAR: Noted Pashto poet and research scholar Prof Abaseen Yousafzai has been nominated for the coveted president’s Pride of Performance award in recognition of his immense contributions in the field of Pashto language and literature.

Literary organisations, literati, intellectuals and members of civil society and rights bodies have felicitated Mr Yousafzai on his nomination for the prestigious award to be conferred on him on the Pakistan Day next year.

Literary jirgas from parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Karachi and Afghanistan have congratulated Prof Yousafzai on his nomination for the President’s award and have termed his nomination well-deserved and well-placed.

Noted fiction writer Zaitoon Bano in a statement on Saturday showered praise on Mr Yousafzai, saying he had served Pashto and Pakhtuns through his powerful writings. “Prof Yousafzai is really a great asset for the entire Pakhtun community because he has been providing selfless services to train and guide young men and women over the past several years. He deserves the President’s award,” she stated.

He has several poetry, prose and research books to his credit and enjoys a large fan following in KP, Balochistan, Afghanistan, and Pakhtun diaspora living across the globe. Mr Yousafzai is a popular voice on radio, famous face on TV and a widely-read word in print.

His popular poetry collections include Ghurzangoonga, (1994), Alwat (2005) and Maram (2016). He has the unique distinction of being the bestselling titles in the history of Pashto. Mr Yousafzai has read out research papers in Gulf countries, Iran and Afghanistan and has been regularly appearing on TV and Radio literary shows and enjoys a widespread reputation for his clear vision. He not only actively participates in literary and cultural activities but also supervises and heads several literary and cultural organisations.

Prof Abaseen Yousafzai has done his doctorate thesis on ‘Pakhtun Hamza’: An analytical study on nationality of Hamza Shinwari from Pashto Academy, University of Peshawar. In addition, he has contributed numerous features and columns to Pashto and Urdu newspapers and magazines. He has also been grooming budding poets and writers.

He is currently leading Pohantoon Adabi Stori (PAS), a literary body comprising young college and university students.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2020