Obaidullah Aleem

Who is Obaidullah Aleem?

Obaidullah Aleem was a modern poet of Urdu language. He is ranked among the best Ghazal writers of modern times.

He was born in 1939 in Bhopal, India. His father lived in Sialkot and was from the Butt family. He received an MA in Urdu from the University of Karachi. He began work as a radio producer, and then as producer for Karachi Television in 1967. He first married to Nigar Yasmin in 1970 and in late 1990s he married to Tehseen Fatima. In 1974 his first book of poetry Chand chehra sitara ankhhen was published. In 1978, he was forced to resign from his job following an edict issued against him in relation to him being an Ahmadi, a member of Ahmadiyyah Muslim Community. His book of poetry received the highest award in literature in Pakistan, the Adamji Prize. He wrote an article 'Khurshid missal shakhs' in memory of Khalifatul Maish III in 1982. His second collection of poetry Viran saray ka diya was published in 1986. He came to England in 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996 and in 1997. In March of this year he suffered a severe heart attack in Punjab and was treated in Fazl-e-Omar Hospital for a few days. He returned to his residence at Nazimabad no 4, in Karachi, in comparatively good health. Aleem died from heart failure, following a second heart attack.