KARACHI, Jan 12: Mehdi Ali Siddiqi, judge, poet and author who caught the literary world's attention with his judgment on Sadat Hasan Manto, died in New York on Sunday, according to his family in Karachi. He was 97.

Associated with the judicial service in the state of Hyderabad and later Pakistan, Mr Siddiqi retired as additional district and sessions judge in Karachi in 1966.

However, retirement led to the beginning of a new life in teaching and journalism: he was law professor in Islamia College and the Sindh Muslim Law College and also edited Muslimnews International. He also served on the Council of Islamic Ideology in 1982-84 and was closely associated with the vetting of the Pakistan Penal Code from an Islamic point of view.

When Sadat Hasan Manto was proceeded against under obscenity laws for a short story and his case came up in Mr Siddiqi's court, the latter convicted him with a fine, but paid the fine himself because Manto did not have that money. Manto later dedicated one of his books to Mr Siddiqi.

Mr Siddiqi's views of Manto's short-story were later published by Afkar, Karachi. Manto later himself wrote on the case. This has recently been published in Dastaawez, a collection of Manto's works.

An Aligarian, his first book was Qurbani, which was a translation of Charles Dickens' A tale of two cities." Others of his works include his autobiography - Bila kamo kaast - and a book of poetry.

The biography turned out to be South Asia's history as he saw and lived through from his days in Aligarh as a student to the cataclysmic events that followed the independence of India, the creation of Pakistan, the fall of the state of Hyderabad, and the political and constitutional drama in Pakistan.

In spite of his advanced age, he remained in complete control of his mental faculties till the very last and occupied himself with reading and writing.

At the age of 97 he began writing another book, this time about his friends and acquaintances that ranged from orientalists and scholars to judges, poets, authors and politicians but could not finish it.

Famous for his wit and humour, he insisted that Pakistanipoliticians should not be called "siyaasat daan" because they knew nothing about "siyaasat." He believed they should be called "siyaasat kaar" because this was their occupation.

Quran Khawani will be held tomorrow (Tuesday) at the residence of his son, Mr Ali Mohammad Siddiqi, between Asr and Maghrib at D-4, Hasan Square, Gulshan-i-Iqbal. - HA