KARACHI, Sept 15: Distinguished writer Hajra Masroor passed away after a protracted illness here on Saturday. She was 82.

Hajra was one of the pioneers of feminism in the subcontinent and a torchbearer of the Progressive Writers Movement.

She is survived by two daughters. Hajra was married to Ahmad Ali Khan, the legendary editor of Dawn who died in 2007.

She was born in 1930 in Lucknow. After partition of the subcontinent, she, along with her sister Khadija Mastoor (a great writer in her own right), migrated to Pakistan and initially settled in Lahore.

Hajra began writing short stories at a young age. She edited the magazine Nuqoosh and became the first woman editor of a literary journal. She was a close friend and associate of the noted man of letters Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi, who co-edited Nuqoosh with her.

Hajra penned many a short story in her career, all of which were received with critical acclaim. A couple of her stories that earned her recognition in her nascent writing career were Charagh Ki Lau Per and Sargoshian. Chand Ke Doosri Taraf is considered her all-time classic story.

Her Namaz-i-Janaza was held at Sultan Masjid, Defence, after Isha prayers and she was buried in the Gizri graveyard.