Kazi Zainul Abedin

Kazi Zainul Abedin was a Pakistani poet and scholar of Pashto and Persian. He was born on 8 December 1892 in Parbhani, a city in the northwest of British India (present-day Pakistan). He received his early education at Islamia College Peshawar and then graduated from Edwardes College Peshawar. He did his master's degree in Persian from the University of Peshawar and later obtained a PhD in Persian literature from the same university. He started his career as a lecturer in Persian at the University of Peshawar and then became a professor and head of the department of Pashto. He also served as the dean of the faculty of arts and humanities at the same university. He retired from the university service in 1990. Kazi Zainul Abedin was a prolific writer and a prominent figure in the Pashto literary movement. He wrote more than 40 books on various subjects, such as poetry, criticism, history, culture, linguistics, lexicography, and translation. He was also a poet and a critic of Pashto literature. He wrote poetry in both Pashto and Persian languages and was influenced by the classical and modern poets of both traditions. He was a member of the Progressive Writers' Movement and a follower of Marxism. He was also a political activist and a nationalist who advocated for the rights of the Pashtun people and opposed the military dictatorship in Pakistan. He was jailed several times for his political views and activities. He was awarded the Sitara-e-Imtiaz, the nation's second highest civilian award, in 2009. He died on 23 May 1962 in Mirpurkhas. He was buried in his native city with full political and literary honors. He is regarded as a national hero and a legend in Pashto literature.