Mehboob Zafar

Mehboob Zafar is one of the renowned poets, writers, researchers, and translators of Urdu. He was born on 4 January 1956 in Talagang, a tehsil of District Chakwal, and spent his early years in Sindh, where his father served in the police service. After completing his matriculation in Jacobabad, he moved to Karachi for higher studies and earned a master’s degree in Urdu literature. Very few literary figures excel simultaneously in creativity, research, and translation; Mehboob Zafar is among those rare individuals. He has distinguished himself as a poet while also undertaking demanding work in research and translation. His contributions have been widely appreciated both nationally and internationally, and serious critics of Urdu literature have acknowledged his work as a valuable contribution to the field. In addition to Urdu, he has a strong command of Hindi, Sindhi, Punjabi, Chachi, and Hindko. He has written poetry in Urdu and Punjabi and translated poetry into Hindi and Sindhi, with several of these translations published in book form. His published works include Meray Bhi Hain Kuchh Khawab, Jadeed Sindhi Afsanon Se Intikhab, Jadeed Hindi Adab Se Intikhab, Ahmed Faraz – Shakhsiat Aur Fan, Modern Urdu Ghazal, Modern Urdu Nazam, Ghazal Asasa, Nazam Asasa, Intikhab-e-Kalam Mirza Muhammad Rafi Saudā, and Intikhab Pakistani Adab. Four additional books are currently in print. Beyond his work as a poet, writer, researcher, and translator, he heads the well-known literary organization Zawya and plays a key role in organizing literary activities in the twin cities. He hosted and edited Radio Pakistan’s programme Ifkar from Islamabad for fifteen years and conducted numerous literary programmes and poetry sessions on Pakistan Television and private channels. He has also represented Pakistan as a poet in several countries. Mehboob Zafar began his career in the Pakistan Navy and was later deputed to serve at Pakistan’s embassies in India and the United Kingdom, where he further refined his literary and creative abilities. In recognition of his contributions to literature and poetry, he has been honoured with the Ghalib Adabi Award, the Bahadur Shah Zafar Adabi Award, and the Ahmed Faraz Adabi Award.