The death anniversary of Baba-e-Urdu Maulvi Abdul Haq was observed on Wednesday. A champion of the Urdu language, Abdul Haq demanded that Urdu should be made the national language of Pakistan. He was deeply influenced by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan political and social views, and, following his wishes, he learned English and scientific subjects. Like Syed Ahmad Khan, Maulvi Abdul Haq saw Urdu as a major cultural and political influence on the life and identity of the Muslims of the subcontinent. He was a scholarly critic who provided criticisms of modern Urdu works and encouraged his students to develop literary skills and appreciation of Urdu. Following his retirement from Osmania University in 1930, he worked to compile and edit a comprehensive and authoritative English-Urdu dictionary.

The ordeals of partition and the migration also adversely affected Abdul Haq health. He re-organised the Anjuman Taraqqi-e-Urdu in Karachi, launching journals, establishing libraries and schools, publishing a large number of books and promoting education in the Urdu language and linguistic research in it. Abdul Haq work especially helped preserve the distinct Old Urdu linguistic and literary traditions of Hyderabad, known as Hyderabadi Urdu. He also used his organisation for political activism, promoting the adoption of Urdu as the lingua franca and the sole official language of Pakistan. His best- known works include the English-Urdu dictionary, Chand Ham Asar, Maktoobat, Muqaddimat, Tauqeedat, Qawaid-e-Urdu and Debacha Dastan Rani Ketki. Suffering from cancer, Maulvi Abdul Haq died after a prolonged period of incapacitation on August 16, 1961, in Karachi.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)