Khalid Ahmad

Khalid Ahmad (1943–2013) was a Pakistani Urdu poet, playwright and columnist who gave the ghazal new progressive trends. Born on 5 June 1943 in Lucknow, the son of writer and politician Mohammad Mustafa Khan 'Maddah' and brother of the celebrated fiction writers Khadija Mastoor and Hajira Masroor, he migrated to Pakistan after Partition and took an MSc in Physics from Government College, Lahore. He worked as an information officer at WAPDA, retiring as Deputy Controller, while writing the column 'Lamha-Lamha' for the Daily Imroz and later for Jang and Nawa-i-Waqt, plays for Pakistan Television — Kajal Ghar, Kiran and Ghubar — and editing the monthly literary magazine Bayaz for twenty-two years. His books include Daraz Palkon ke Saaye Saaye, Ek Mutthi Hawa, Pehli Sada Parinde Ki and Hatheliyon par Charagh. He received the Pride of Performance in 2011 and died in Lahore on 19 March 2013.