PESHAWAR: Veteran Urdu and Pashto writer Zubaida Firdous aka Zobi passed away at a local hospital here the other day after protracted illness and was laid to rest the same day, her family confirmed. She was 63.

Poets, writers, and local elders attended her funeral. She left behind a son and daughter to mourn her death. Different literary and cultural organisations have condoled the demise of Ms Zobi with her family and termed her death an irreparable loss to Urdu and Pashto literature and her family. She used to take active part in radio and TV shows and social gatherings.

Being a prolific writer and rights activist she was recipient of several awards and certificates for her literary, cultural and social services. She remained affiliated with different organisations for the last over three decades and contributed her columns on variety of issues to literary Urdu magazines and Pashto weeklies and dailies.

Owing to her social services, she had won peace award twice from Khushal Khan Khattak Literary Jirga.

According to her family members, she left behind unpublished manuscripts of her poetry, fiction and columns on various topics.

Published in Dawn, May 3rd, 2021