Obaidullah Aleem: The Modern Poet of Urdu language, Sindh

Obaidullah Aleem (Urdu: عبیدالله علیم‎, June 12, 1939 – May 18, 1998) was a contemporary poet of Urdu language. He is believed to be the best Ghazal writers of modern times.

He was born in the year of 1939 in Bhopal, India. His father lived in the city of Sialkot and was from the Butt family. He acquired an MA in Urdu from institute of University of Karachi and started working as a radio and television producer until the year of 1967. His first marriage was to Nigar Yasmin in 1970 and in late 1990s he married to Tehseen Fatima. In the year of1974, his first book of poetry Chand Chehra Sitara Ankhhen was published. He was the chairman of the Pakistan Television Corporation until he was compelled to resign in 1978 following an edict against him. His book of poetry received the highest award in literature in Pakistan, the Adamji Prize. He wrote an article ‘Khurshid missal shakhs’ in memory of Khalifatul Masih III in the year of 1982. His second collection of poetry Viran saray ka diya was published in the year of 1986. He first came to England in 1982, then in 1991, 1993, 1994, and 1996 and in 1997. In March of this year 1998, he suffered a severe heart attack in Punjab and was treated in Fazl-e-Omar Hospital for a few days. He came back to his residence at Nazimabad no 4, in the Karachi city, in comparatively good health but passed away from heart failure, following a second heart attack.

Bibliography of Obaidullah Aleem

• Chand chehra sitara ankhhen, (1974).
• Viran saray ka diya, (1986).
• Yei Zindagi Hey Hamari, (Selected Poems).
• Men Khhuli Huwi Ik Sachai, (Collected Prose).
• Chiragh Jaltey Hen: The Unpublished Poetry of Obaidullah Aleem, (Facsimile edition edited by Rehan Qayoom, 2014).