Harris Khalique

Harris Khalique
Born	(1966-10-20)October 20, 1966 Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Citizenship	Pakistani
Known for	Poetry, Writing, Activism

Harris Khalique (Urdu: حارث خلیق‎‎; born 20 October 1966) is a Pakistani poet in Urdu and English and a civil society activist. Khalique has authored nine collections of poetry and two books of non-fiction. In March 2018, he received the Presidential Pride of Performance Award from the state of Pakistan as an acknowledgement of his contributions to poetry.^[1] In 2013, he was awarded the UBL Literary Excellence Award in the category of Urdu poetry for his collection Melay Mein.^[2] He is also a University of Iowa Honorary Fellow in Writing.^[3]

Career[]

Harris Khalique has managed and advised organisations, development projects and human rights campaigns in Pakistan, South Asia and Europe. He has worked with the Aga Khan Foundation, Amnesty International and United Nations agencies.^[4] Since March 2019, he is the Secretary-General of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.^[5] He has published papers and spoken at national and international conferences on history, culture, politics and issues surrounding human rights and international development.^[6] He has written for Dawn,^[7] The News International,^[8] The New York Times,^[9] The Hindu,^[10] The Friday Times^[11] and Deutsche Welles (English).^[12]

He gave the keynote speech at the Karachi Literature Festival in March 2020.^[13][14]

Literary accomplishments[]

In 2015, he participated in the International Writing Program's Fall Residency at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, United States.^[15]

Poetry collections[]

• No Fortunes to Tell (English, 2019). ISBN 978-9697-834044
• Melay Mein (Urdu, 2012). ISBN 978-969-419-044-0
• Ishq Ki Taqveem Mein (Urdu, 2006). ISBN 969-419-023-1
• Between you and your love (English, 2004, Revised and Expanded, 2012)
• Purani Numaish (Urdu, 2001)
• Saray Kaam Zaroori Thay (Urdu, 1997). ISBN 969-441-019-3
• Divan (English, 1998)
• If wishes were horses (English, 1996)
• Aaj Jab Hui Baarish (Urdu, 1991)

Essay collection[]

• Crimson Papers: Reflections on Struggle, Suffering and Creativity in Pakistan (English, 2017). ISBN 9780199407323 ^[16]

Creative non-fiction[]

• Unfinished Histories (co-written, English, 2002). ISBN 969-516-065-4

Monographs[]

• The Latent Transformation: Challenges, Resilience and Successes of Pakistani Women (2011)
• Pakistan Mein Syasi Tabdeeli Ki Simt (Co-written, Urdu, 2007)
• Pakistan: The Question of Identity (2003)

Anthologies where work appeared[]

• Windows on the World – 50 writers, 50 views. Penguin US, 2014. ISBN 978-1594205545
• Look at the city from here. Oxford University Press, 2010. ISBN 978-969-7592-01-2
• Pakistani Urdu Verse. Oxford University Press, 2010. ISBN 978-0195478914
• Language for a New Century. W.W. Norton and Co., 2008. ISBN 978-0820326498
• The Poetry of Men’s Lives, The University of Georgia Press. 2004. ISBN 978-0820326498
• Dragonfly in the Sun – 50 years of Pakistani writing in English. Oxford University Press, 1997. ISBN 978-0195778489

Personal life[]

He lived and worked in Europe before returning to Islamabad. Khalique's paternal ancestors were Kashmiris who had converted to Islam and settled in Lucknow. His maternal ancestors were from Amritsar, Punjab.^[17] He currently lives in Islamabad.

References[]

External links[]

• Harris Khalique at the Poetry Foundation