ISLAMABAD: The 119th birth anniversary of Hafeez Jalandhari, renowned poet and writer of the lyrics of national anthem was observed on Tuesday. Born in Jalandhar on January 14, 1900, Hafeez Jalandhari initially studied in a mosque school and later joined a local school. He only received formal education until the seventh grade. He actively participated in Pakistan Movement and used his writings to inspire people for the cause of Pakistan. He migrated to Lahore after the independence of Pakistan in 1947. Besides writing lyrics of the national anthem, he also wrote the Kashmiri anthem, ‘Watan Hamara Azad Kashmir’. Hafeez also wrote many patriotic songs during the IndoPakistan War of 1965. His work of poetry, Shahnama-e-Islam, gave him incredible fame which is a record of the glorious history of Islam in verse. His other books included Naghma Zar (1925), Soz-o-Saaz (1932),Talkhaba-i-Shireen (1947) and Chiragh-i-Sehar (1974) Hafeez Jalandhri passed away on December 21, 1982 at the age of 82.
