Urdu poet, drama writer and lyricist
Brief info
Amjad Islam Amjad, PP, Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Urdu: امجد اسلام امجد) (born 4 August 1944) is an Urdu poet, drama writer, and lyricist from Pakistan. The author of more than 40 books in a career spanning 50 years, he has received many awards for his literary work and screenplay for TV, including Pride of Performance and Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence) Awards.
Amjad was born in the Punjab at Lahore in British India, now in Pakistan. His family originally belonged to Sialkot.[citation needed] He received his secondary education in Lahore, and graduated from Government Islamia College Civil Lines, Lahore. He was also member of the college cricket team and participated in the inter collegiate tournament. He gained a Masters of Arts degree in Urdu literature from Punjab University. He began his career as a lecturer in Govt. M.A.O. College Lahore.[4] He worked as a director at Pakistan Television Corporation from 1975 to 1979, before returning to teaching.
In 1989, Amjad was appointed Director General of Urdu Science Board. He has also worked as a project director of the Children Library Complex. Amjad is the writer of many drama series for Pakistan Television Corporation including Waris. He has written many columns, translation, criticism and essays while his main focus remained writing Nazms, a type of Urdu poetry. Among his most notable dramas are Waris, Dehleez, Samandar, Raat, Waqt and Apnay Loug.
In June 2008, he joined Urdu newspaper Daily Express and writes column with the title of "Chasham-e-Tamasha".
In December 2019, Amjad received the Necip Fazil International Culture and Art Award in Istanbul, Turkey.