KARACHI: Two books written by Abdul Khaliq Butt were launched at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Wednesday evening. The first, Lafz Tamasha, is on the usage and etymology of Urdu words in particular and the Urdu language in general, and the second, Baatein Hashmi Sahib Ki, is the author’s memoir about journalist, the late Athar Hashmi, a former editor of Jasarat.

Renowned scholar Moinuddin Aqeel presided over the event. Appreciating Lafz Tamasha,he said, “In our part of the world, few books have been written on this subject. Linguistics is my subject. The way Mr Butt has chosen topics for the book and the manner with which he has presented them is highly impressive. Such topics aren’t even presented in books focusing on linguistics the way the author has penned them. [In a language] it all depends on the riyaát-i-lafzi (paronomasia), on how we use words, something that the writer has written about.”

On the second book, Mr Aqeel said he had known Mr Hashmi for many a year. His disposition and sense of humour were praiseworthy.

The author said it was basically Lafz Tamasha’s launch, the second publication was added later on. “Although these books seem different, they have an inner connection, which is Mr Hashmi, that is, what he taught me has come out in the form of the book.”

Prof Salim Mughal said a lot of love and hard work have gone into the composition of Lafz Tamasha. He felt strange that despite having common friends, he hadn’t earlier met the author in person. “Most of the chapters in the book describe the journey of words — how they travelled from one country to another. The author has a fine literary taste which shows in the book. It is a complete work of research.”

Prof Dr Nilofer Sultana, the wife of the late Mr Hashmi, went down memory lane to talk about her husband’s life and work.

The head of the KPC’s Literary Committee, A H Khanzada, thanked the author for choosing the club for the event. He said one of the books is based on research and the other is a tribute to Mr Hashmi. “In this day and age of Facebook and Instagram, Mr Butt is serving the world of books for which he should be commended,” he added.

Ata Muhammad Tabassum, Maqsood Yousufi, Muzaffar Ejaz and Ghazala Aziz also spoke.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2025