Jamiluddin Aali

Nawabzada Mirza Jamiluddin Ahmed Khan, widely recognized as Jamiluddin Aali or Aaliji, was a prominent Pakistani poet, critic, and scholar. He served as a playwright, essayist, columnist, and politician throughout his life.

Early life and education

Aali was born in Delhi, British India, on 20 January 1925. His father, Amiruddin Ahmed Khan, held the title of Nawab of Loharu. His mother, Syeda Jamila Begum, was a direct descendant of Khwaja Mir Dard and served as the fourth wife of Amiruddin Khan. The paternal grandfather of Aali was a disciple of Mirza Ghalib, who is considered one of the greatest poets of the Urdu language.

He pursued his higher education in Delhi. Aali earned a BA in Economics from Anglo Arabic College in 1944. On 13 August 1947, he migrated to Karachi with his family just before the partition of India.

Career

Aali began his professional life as an assistant in the Ministry of Commerce. He passed the CSS examination in 1951 and subsequently joined the Pakistan Taxation Service. From 1959 to 1963, he served as the Officer on Special Duty at President House. In 1967, he joined the National Bank of Pakistan, where he worked until his retirement in 1988. During his tenure at the bank, he held the position of vice president. He also obtained an FEL and an LLB degree from the University of Karachi in 1971.

His literary contributions were extensive. Aali became the honorary secretary of the Anjuman-i Taraqqi-i Urdu in 1962 following the death of Maulvi Abdul Haq. He worked alongside Farman Fatehpuri to ensure the growth of the association. He also played a major role during the development of the 22-volume Urdu dictionary at the Urdu Lughat Board.

As a songwriter, Aali composed several famous pieces. He wrote "Jeevay Jeevay Pakistan" during the 1965 Indo-Pak war, which Shahnaz Begum sang with music by Sohail Rana. This song was originally released on 14 August 1971 by PTV. In 1976, he wrote "Hum Maain, Hum Behnain, Hum Baitiyan" for International Women's Year. He also composed "Jo Nam Wohi Pehchan, Pakistan, Pakistan" in 1986 at the request of President Ghulam Ishaq Khan. Another notable work is "Mera Inam Pakistan," which was sung by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

Aali entered the political arena as a member of the Pakistan Peoples Party. He contested the 1977 National Assembly elections from NA-191 but lost to Munawwar Hasan of Jamaat-e-Islami. Later, in 1997, he was elected to the Senate for a six-year term with support from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement. He reportedly felt uncomfortable when asked why he briefly entered politics.

His written works include various collections of poetry and travelogues. His ballads include Aye Mere Dasht-e-Sukhan and Ghazlain Dohay, which saw six editions. He also published Jeeway Jeeway Pakistan, which had five editions, and La Hasil, which had three editions. His couplet collections include Dohay, which appeared in three Urdu editions and one Devnagari edition. For travel literature, he wrote Duniya Mere Aagye, Tamasha Mere Aagye, and a travelogue titled Iceland.

Personal life

Aali married Tayyba Bano in 1944. The couple had three sons and two daughters. He passed away from a heart attack on 23 November 2015 in Karachi. His funeral prayer took place at the Tooba mosque in DHA, Karachi. He was buried in an army graveyard at Bizerta Lines on the same day.

Awards and recognition

Aali received several prestigious honors during his lifetime. The President of Pakistan awarded him the Pride of Performance in 1991 and the Hilal-e-Imtiaz in 2004. He earned the Adamjee Literary Award in 1960 and the Dawood Literary Award in 1963. He also received the United Bank Literary Award and the Habib Bank Literary Award in 1965.

Other accolades include the Canadian Urdu Academy Award in 1988 and the Sant Kabeer Award from the Urdu Conference Delhi in 1989. In 2000, he received the "Nishan-e-Urdu" Award from the Urdu Markaz New York during an international conference at the UNO.