Waheed Qureshi

Waheed Qureshi studied at Government College University. The recorded working language is Urdu. The field of work recorded is Urdu literature, literary criticism and linguistics. Employment is recorded with Oriental College, Government College University and Iqbal Academy Pakistan. Distinctions recorded are Pride of Performance.

• Name — Waheed Qureshi وحید قریشی • Born — 14 February 1925 • Birthplace — Mianwali, Punjab, British India • Died — 17 October 2009 • Place of death — Lahore Pakistan • Field — Urdu literature, Persian literature, History and Linguistics • Workplaces — Oriental College, Punjab University, Lahore • Education — Government College University • Known for — Urdu literature and Linguistics • Awards — Pride of Performance (1993)

Born as Abdul Waheed on 14 February 1925 in Mianwali in British India (now in Pakistan), Qureshi got his early education in Lahore. He obtained an honours degree in Persian in 1944, a master's degree in Persian in 1946 and a master's degree in History in 1950 from Government College, Lahore. From 1947 to 1950, he remained Alfred Patiala Research Scholar at the University of Punjab, Lahore. In 1952, he wrote his thesis "Insha Literature in Persian – A Critical Study" and obtained a PhD degree in classical Persian prose. He wrote another research dissertation on the poet Mir Hasan and his poetry in 1964, and obtained a D.Litt in Urdu as a language. Being devoted to books since childhood, he began building his personal library when he was a student and had turned it into a sizeable collection of rare Urdu and Persian books and manuscripts before he died.

Waheed Qureshi was appointed lecturer in Oriental College, Punjab University, Lahore in 1963 and he became its university principal in 1980. He worked as dean of Islamic and Oriental Learning for many years. During his tenure at the National Language Authority as its chairman, he got published a large number of research dissertations and technical books and strove for the implementation of Urdu as the official language of Pakistan. Nearly a year after his death in October 2009, Iftikhar Arif who replaced him as chairman, National Language Authority and some other literary critics felt that the struggle for 'Urdu language as the official language of Pakistan' had significantly slowed down after Waheed Qureshi's death. He entered the literary circles with a bang in late 1940s when he wrote Shibli ki hayat-i-muashaqa, a research work that unearthed the love-life of Shibli Nomani, a renowned Muslim scholar, and tried to portray him as a human in the light of Freudian theories. He psychoanalysed Shibli's personality as reflected in his Persian ghazals and his letters addressed to Atiya Fayzee. In addition to his two doctoral dissertations, his works that earned him name and respect of his peers were his critical studies, research papers and annotated and edited versions of some classical Urdu and Persian works. Another contribution of his is towards understanding the ideological basis of Pakistan, Pakistan movement and poetry of Iqbal. He remained editor of several literary and research journals, including Saheefa, Iqbal Review and Iqbal for many years. The institutions that benefited from his acumen include Maghribi Pakistan Urdu Academy, Bazm-i-Iqbal and Iqbal Academy Pakistan. He held the charge of Director Iqbal Academy Pakistan from July 1982 to April 1983 in first term and from September 1993 to June 1997 in second term. He authored around 30 books. His extensive and in-depth study of Oriental literature, familiarity with German and French, and engagement with the social sciences enabled him to develop a distinctive literary approach—one that skillfully blended critical analysis with scholarly research. Dr. Waheed Qureshi was a researcher, critic, poet, teacher, administrator and known as a witty person. One manifestation of his wit was his satirical literary column in Daily Jang, which he wrote with the pseudonym Mir Jumla Lahori. He also gave comic speeches on Radio Pakistan on several occasions.

Dr. Waheed Qureshi died on 17 October 2009 in Lahore, Pakistan.