Hafeez Khan is a born writer; he has been drifting effortlessly from the dull and drabjudicial writing to all genres of literature in Seraiki and Urdu for the last 40 years.

He has authored 23 books, while six more are all set to hit the press anytime. The Academy of Letters recently published a book, Muhammad Hafeez Khan: Shakhsiat aur Fun, under its series, ‘Pakistani Adab ke Memaar’.

His work as a playwright, historian, critic, poet and short story and novel writer highlights Seraiki areas, their people, heritage and rights. For those who wonder how he has been dealing with judicial files and working as a fiction writer simultaneously, he says: “It’s not hard to dispense justice to your goals if you’re committed and clear about them.”

A man of many talents, he started writing in 1970 and his judicial career in 1984. After retiring as a judge in 2016, he served for another four years with the Federal Judicial Academy. His judicial institution also acknowledged his innovative approach “in delay reduction in the disposal of cases in the judiciary of Punjab”. As in-charge of the National Judicial Policy at the Lahore High Court in 2012, he ensured zero pendency of cases in 31 districts.

Today, he is leading a retired life in Islamabad. But his role as a writer keeps him busier than ever.

Since 2017, he has written four novels – one in Seraiki and three in Urdu. Another project he says he is going to accomplish is becoming the second editor of Muasar-i-Multan, the history of Multan from the time of Shahabuddin Ghauri to 1857. The first edition, which was published in 2011, covered the ancient city from an unknown period till Ghauri.

“Hafeez is overusing his life like a cab driver drives a rented vehicle recklessly,” says Multan-based artist Zulfiqar Bhatti, a decades-old friend of Khan’s.

If one gets a chance to spend a few hours with Khan, 65, they understand he has accomplished a lot. He is either reading or writing or discussing Seraiki heritage, language, literature and so on.

Hafeez Khan was born in Ahmedpur East in 1956. After accomplishing degrees in history and law, he passed the civil services exam and was allocated first the Postal Group and then Audit and Accounts Group in 1984. The same year, he passed the PCS and joined as excise and taxation officer. Later that year, he tried his luck in the judicial service exam and started a career as a civil judge. Before that, he taught law at the Islamia University, Bahawalpur as well as practiced in the field.

Before government service, he had started writing dramas for children for Radio Pakistan Bahawalpur in 1975. He remembers he started writing short stories regularly in 1971. Briefly, he also joined Radio Pakistan as a programme producer.

Has Hafeez Khan been only into writing books? No. He has been striving to connect Seraiki and other Pakistani literature and people with each other. He uses the term ‘Pakistani languages’ for Pashtu, Sindhi, Balochi, Punjabi and other regional languages.

He launched the Multan Institute of Policy and Research in 2007, a forum to help local writers publish books. The institute also translated the work in other languages into Urdu to increase their outreach. So far, 52 books have been published by the forum, reshaping cultural heritage, language, data, fiction and history.

Khan’s decades-long work has gained him acknowledgement from various quarters as he has been awarded the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz by the government, and accolades from the PTV, Academy of Letters and Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture (Pilac).

He says he accepted the Pilac award in good faith and not to create a controversy. “I’m happy Pilac acknowledged my work on Seraiki folk legend Pathanay Khan.”

Basically, Khan is a desk person but currently he is pushing to get a Pilac-type Seraiki institute approved by the government. He, however, is not hopeful.

“A Seraiki chief minister (Usman Buzdar) has done nothing for Seraiki culture and language,” he sighs.

Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2021