LAHORE/KARACHI, Dec 26: Renowned man of letters Munir Niazi, who composed unforgettable film songs like “Us Bewafa Ka Shehar Hey”, passed away after suffering cardiac arrest here on Tuesday night. He was 78.

According to family members, his condition deteriorated rapidly after an asthma attack at around 7pm. He was taken to the Jinnah Hospital where he died one and a half hours later. Niazi leaves a widow.

Niazi, whose original name was Munir Ahmad, was born in Khanpur in 1928. He had his early education in Khanpur but moved to S.E. College in Bahawalpur for his intermediate. He did his BA from Dyal Singh College.

Niazi, who settled in Sahiwal following the partition of the subcontinent, published a weekly called “Saat Rung” in 1949. He became associated with what was then the country’s budding film industry for some time and penned a number of lyrical poems for movies. The late Nasim Begum sang the song “Us Bewafa Ka Shehar Hey” for the 1962 film “Shaheed”. The song, which was put to music by versatile composer Rasheed Attre, catapulted both the singer and the poet to stardom.

Niazi also wrote articles for newspapers, magazines and radio. In 1960, he established a publishing house called “Al-Misal”.

Among his famous anthologies of Urdu poems are “Taiz Hawa Aur Tanha Phool”, “Jungle Mein Dhanak”, “Dushmanoon Kay Darmiyan Sham” and “Mah-i-Munir”. In the Punjabi language, he authored “Safar di Raat”, “Char Chup Cheezan” and “Rasta Dasan Walay Tarey”.

Niazi, a master of poetic imagery, was bold enough to experiment with many genres of poetry and is credited with creating a distinct style, rhythm and diction. Mythology, nostalgia, haunting romance and a belief in the supernatural are some of those themes that find frequent mention in his poems.

Contemporaries’ comments:

Critiquing Niazi’s poetic art, noted writer Intizar Hussain said Niazi had his own unique style of poetry.

“He had his own colours. Along with Nasir Kazmi, he is one of my favourite poets,” said Mr Hussain.

Poet Dr Abrar Ahmed said Niazi was among those poets who migrated from India and in their poetry defined the places they lived. Dr Ahmed recalled that Niazi had no other source of living and relied solely on his poetry.

Playwright Munoo Bahi said next to Faiz and Nasir Kazmi, Niazi was a leading Urdu poet who had his own style.

‘Niazi gave a couple of new metaphors to Urdu poetry,” he explained.

Poet Dr Pirzada Qasim, who is vice-chancellor of the University of Karachi, said that with Niazi’s death, the country had lost one of the finest poets.

“He was one of the few most important poets of his generation. His poetry was full of mystery and melancholy,” Dr Qasim said.

Poet Jamiluddin Aali said the late Niazi was distinctively strict in his aesthetic diction and style.

“He was also known as a great Punjabi poet but I cannot say much about that. I would however state without any reservation that among his Urdu contemporaries, he was the greatest. His departure from the scene is really a great loss to Urdu,” said Mr Aali.

Poet Iftikhar Arif, who is chairman of the Pakistan Academy of Letters, said Niazi was the greatest poet of the post-Faiz era.

“He was so committed that he never compromised on aesthetics. That’s perhaps why he is equally popular with the intellectual elite and the masses,” said Mr Arif.

According to him, Niazi was among those five Urdu poets who have been widely translated in European languages.

“He has been translated in English, Russian, German, Norwegian and many other European languages. He was also translated in Hindi,” said Mr Arif.

Poet Kishwar Naheed said what Niazi wrote in Urdu and Punjab would inspire future writers for a long time.

“His poetry has given a modern approach to Urdu and Punjabi poetry. He gave new expressions to old words and used beautiful words in his poetry that had earlier not been touched. He drew sketches with words. He was matchless,” said Ms Naheed. Funeral: Family members told Dawn that Niazi’s funeral would be held at 2pm in a mosque near his residence at 43, Block 1, B1 Township on Wednesday.