I request the media, both print and electronic, to pay tribute to great writers like Zakia Akbar
LAHORE: The famous and a class in herself playwright, Zakia Akbar, left this world on March 11, in Karachi. It was disappointing that the passing away of such a versatile playwright went unnoticed by the print and electronic media. Zakia Akbar’s plays are still fresh in the minds of those who witnessed her remarkable and extraordinary works carrying a clear message of love and devotion for humanity.
Akbar’s marvellous scripts left an everlasting mark on the memories of the viewers. She always conveyed a message about the obligations of human beings towards one another. Her message was of helping fellow human beings irrespective of caste, creed, nationality, religion or gender. Her plays, in a very refined, cultured and polished manner, emphasised the importance of ‘haqooqul ibad’ (the rights of human beings), which is the essence of humanity.
Nowadays, with the arrival of numerous private television channels, we hardly find any entertainment channel telecasting dramas on subjects such as humanity. The most popular subjects are the centuries-old mother-in-law and daughter-in-law rifts, but Zakia Akbar was one who deviated from traditional topics and came out with covering the realities of life by selecting subjects that actually mattered to people. Hailing from a literary family and being daughter of the first Urdu detective novel writer, Zafar Omar, Zakia Akbar used her pen in a most sophisticated manner with a very refined version of the Urdu language. She, being the wife of a Pakistan army soldier, also exhibited deep patriotism for her country.
I request the media, both print and electronic, to pay tribute to great writers like Zakia Akbar and let the new generation discover the contribution of people like her in the field of art and literature. Such writers of an elegant style who aim to educate the masses through creative writing, are seldom born. Civilised nations honour artists and it would be nice if our media made an effort to honour their works and contributions to society — perhaps, start by offering annual tribute so that people do not forget them and so that the future generations know their names.
Aamir Aqil
Published in The Express Tribune, March 19th, 2016.
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