ISLAMABAD: Prominent intellectual, writer and researcher Dr Jamil Jalibi was on Wednesday nominated for the Kamal-i-Funn Award 2017 by a jury selected by the Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL).

This is also the first time in the last many years that a prominent politician was awarded by the jury which announced to give the English Prose Pitras Bukhari Award to former Senate chairman Mian Raza Rabbani for his book Invisible People.

The panel of judges included prominent writers and scholars such as Dr Fehmida Hussain, Dr Tehseen Firaqui, Prof Dr Nazeer Tabassum, Dr Abdul Razzaq Sabir, Parveen Malik, Hafeez Khan, Dr Tauseef Tabassum, Dr Rauf Parekh, Mohammad Ayub Baloch and Dr Rubina Shaheen. The meeting was presided over by Syed Mazhar Jameel.

Former Senate chairman Mian Raza Rabbani awarded Pitras Bukhari Award

The Kamal-i-Funn Award is the highest literary award in the field of literature and is awarded in recognition of a lifetime’s achievement in creative and research works, and the award amount is Rs1 million.

During a press conference, National History and Literary Heritage Division Secretary Aamir Hasan and PAL Chairman Syed Junaid Akhlaque also announced the National Literary Award for the year 2017, given for the best literary books written during the year in Urdu and other Pakistani languages.

For Urdu poetry, the Dr Allama Mohammad Iqbal Award was given to Naseer Taurabi for his bookLaraib.

In Urdu prose, the Saadat Hasan Manto Award was given to Khalida Husain for her bookJeeney Ki Pabandi.

In Punjabi poetry, the Syed Waris Shah Award was given to Rai Mohammad Khan Nasir for his bookHoong.

In Punjabi prose, the Afzal Ahsan Randhawa Award was given to Dr Nasir Baloch for his bookJhoota Sacha Koe Na.

In Sindhi poetry, the Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai Award was given to Adal Soomro for his bookNeroli Jo Khwab.

In Sindhi prose, the Mirza Qaleech Baig Award was given to Badal Jamali for his bookAwelo Musafir.

In Pashto poetry, the Khushal Khan Khattak Award was given to Rawail Khan Rawail for his bookSadaf Ke Malghalari.

In Pashto prose, the Mohammad Ajmal Khan Khattak Award was given to Abdul Karim Baryale for his bookPa Monr Ke Zandeeq Nishta.

In Balochi poetry, the Mast Tawakli Award was given to Ahmad Zuhair for his bookZapaten Zuhair.

In Balochi prose, the Syed Zahoor Shah Hashmi Award was given to Ghani Parwaz for his bookMaah Sara-u-Roch-i-Cheer.

In Saraiki poetry, the Khwaja Ghulam Fareed Award was given to Saeed Akhtar for his bookNokh.

In Seraiki prose, the Dr Maher Abdul Haq Award was given to Irshad Taunsvi for his bookIshq Asda Deen.

In Brahui poetry, the Taj Mohmaad Tajal Award was given to Zahid Nazir for his bookHatam Na To Be.

In Brahui prose, the Ghulam Nabi Rahi Award was given to Mir Brahui for his bookSaka Maah Gul.

In Hinko poetry the Saeen Ahmad Ali Award was given to Hasam Hur for his bookHasanat Jameeu Khisalehi.

In translation, the Mohammad Hasan Askari Award was given to Huma Anwar for her bookChalees Cheragh Ishq Ke.

An amount of Rs200,000 in award money will be given to each of the winners of the National Literary Award 2017.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2019