Shaikh Ayaz

Shaikh Ayaz was a Pakistani writer, playwright and author born in Ludhiana, who was active in British India and later, after the 1947 partition of India, in Pakistan. Writing mainly in Sindhi and Urdu, he produced more than 50 books on poetry, biographies, plays and short stories. His translations of Shah Jo Risalo, which was written by the 18th-century Sufi poet Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, from Sindhi to Urdu language established him as an authority in his domain. He received Sitara-i-Imtiaz for his literary works and is regarded as a "revolutionary and romantic poet". He introduced several modern trends in Sindhi and Urdu literature, such as the use of free verse, symbolism, realism and social criticism. He also wrote poetry on the themes of love, nature, patriotism, humanism and spirituality. He was a lawyer by profession but he also served as the vice-chancellor of Sindh University. He was a jail mate of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the former prime minister of Pakistan, during the regime of General Ayub Khan. He died on 28 December 1997 in Karachi, Sindh after suffering from cardiac-arrest.