Khurshid Anwar Jilani

Khurshid Anwar Jilani (1904–1963) author, poet, radio talk show writer, attorney and philanthropist.

Early life and education

Born September 3, 1904, to Abdul Haq, a land commissioner of Zira (Punjab in British India), earned his bachelor's degree from the University of the Punjab, Lahore in 1934, and a law degree in 1938 from Punjab University Law College Lahore.. Relocated to Pakistan 1947 during the largest migration of mankind in history in post British India.

Career

Khurshid Anwar Jilani practice law at Ferozepur (British India) Lahore and Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

Khurshid Anwar Jilani authored 2 books and many literary articles in English, Urdu, Persian and Punjabi, were published and produced in LailoNehar, Kohistan, Pakistan Times, and Radio Talk Shows.

1948, K.A. Jilani as a Trustee of the Rawalpindi city, helping rehabilitate migrants from India, came across thousands of rare, multilingual, antique books and hand illustrated manuscripts, from evacuee properties, dumped in open patios of local court house by the city staff, which included some original manuscripts of "Shahnama-e-Firdausi", "Tuzk-e- Babri", "Gulistan-e-Saadi", "Rubayat-e-Omar Khayam", "Baghdadee Bible", "Quran", Torah, Bhagvat Gita, Guru Graranth Sahib and other literature, dating back to hundreds of years.

1949, K.A. Jilani founded the " Rawalpindi Public Library ", to preserves this treasure, the first ever public library established in the new country, Pakistan. Mohatta Studios on the Mall Road, across from Rawalpindi Club and Flashmann’s Hotel, a property jointly owned with Major Davis, the deputy commissioner of Rawalpindi (owner Mrs. Davis' Motel) was chosen to house the books. Soon the location turned out to be too small, and consequently, Major Davis, apportioned and allotted a big hall-building (on Mission Road, now Trunk Bazar) to relocate the library. Rawalpindi Public Library was cataloged and maintained by volunteers from the Writer’s Guild, local literary circle and Rah-e-Nau magazine. After K.A.Jilani's sudden death in 1963, the political scenes became so turbulent, that in 1966 the library and building was discourteously, and, ungraciously snatched away by the influential, to convert to political campaign office for a political party. Manuscripts, books, sculptures and artifacts were openly looted away; 478,774 items in English, French, Russian, Spanish, Sanskrit, Punjabi (devnagri & shahmukhi), Pushtu, Sindhi, Arabic, Gujarati, Bengali, Farsee, Kashmiri, Turkistani, Maya, Urdu and other languages of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, as cataloged.

As a promoter of sports, K.A. Jilani initiated the Abdul Haq Cricket Trophy, the 1st for the Rawalpindi Club in 1950. He authored "Flora Neelofer", "Chughatta", "Do Musafir" and "Anvarat" in Urdu fiction and poetry. He translated Masnavi Maulana Rome and Rubatayet Omar Khayam, from Persian to versified Urdu and English. His mini article series "reportaz" and "Bhukshu ki Dua" enjoyed a large readership. He left behind unpublished works, recently found plagiarized in certain publications.

Radio programs

Some of his Radio programs that were written and narrated by him.

• "Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hay"

• "Banam-e-Haq-o-Insaf" (United Nations reports on Indian atrocities & genocides in Kashmir)

• "Pindi Ki Shikar Gahen"

• "Kallar Kahar"

• "Kala Pahar"

• "Islam Ka Aftab Chamka"

• "Aatish-e-Namrood", to name a few, were written and narrated by him.

References