PESHAWAR: Literati, intellectuals and poets paid tribute to noted Pashto writer, poet, fictionist and research scholar Hamesh Khalil declaring him a legendary figure in classical Pashto literature.

During a literary reference at the Pashto Academy of the University of Peshawar here the other day, the speakers said Mr Khalil (1925-2024) explored hidden aspects of Pashto and influenced several generations of Pashto poets and writers in the last eight decades.

They said Mr Khalil contributed to the development of Pashto language and its classical literature at a time when little or no authentic sources were available but still he unearthed a treasure trove of poets and writers who had laid the foundation for the literary traditions covering Pakhtun history, folk literature and lifestyle.

They said Mr Khalil was the last literary figure of the golden period of Pashto literature when Ameer Hamza Khan Shinwari, Samandar Khan, Dost Mohammad Khan Kamil, and Ajmal Khattak and several others introduced new trends and modern way of literary expression and could be termed a true spirit of the age.

UoP’s Pashto Academy holds literary reference for him

According to them, Mr Khalil enjoyed widespread fame and popularity among literary circles both in the Pakhtun areas of Afghanistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan due his vast experience and encyclopedic approach towards scholarly topics in Pashto where no one could dare touch and it was his that critical thought which brought about a substantive change in Pashto typical conventional approach, speakers observed.

Prof Farkhanda Hayat, director at the Pashto Academy, said Mr Khalil was an academy in his own right who devoted his life to the cause of Pashto language and literature.

She added that Mr Khalil’s research work, especially on Pashto classical literature, remained a source of inspiration for budding scholars.

“Hamesh Khalil was a shining star among his contemporaries for his vast scholarship and in-depth vision. Being a voluminous writer, he had authored more than 80 books on classical poets and writers,” she said.

Prof Yar Mohammad Maghmoom Khattak, who presided over the event, said he had long associations with Mr Khalil and learnt a lot from him about evolutionary stages of Pashto literature as well as contemporary trends.

Prof Zubair Hasart said the literary debate between Qalandar Momand and his followers and Mr Khalil helped create a wide space where a large number of young critics plunged into the arena of research discourses.

“The battle of the books between Qalandar Momand and Mr Khalil helped modern literati and intellectuals to bring to fore new critical ways to research and analyse controversial literary topics on a positive note,” he said.

Prof Roohullah Jan, chairman of the Pashto department at the University of Peshawar, said Mr Khalil’s fiction, prose, poetry and research style paved the way for budding poets and writers to serve the cause of Pashto through their creative strength and selfless efforts.

He said Mr Khalil was a research scholar par excellence, fictionist, literary critic and a poet with progressive vision.

Syedul Amin Ahsan said Mr Khalil enjoyed a unique status among a galaxy of senior writers who had appreciated his sincere efforts to propagate and promote Pashto language and literature during his early writing career.

‘Chargul, a collection of Mr. Khalil’s short stories and his poetry volume titled Zama Sandary became the yardstick for creative writing in Pashto. His articles, features, and poems published in various Pashto literary journals were considered touchstones when it came to balanced critical impersonal viewpoint on a certain topic,” he said.

The other speakers included Prof Javed Iqbal, Prof Aseer Mangal, Prof Abdullah Jan Abid and Prof Aslam Taseer.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2024