Harris Khalique
Encyclopedia
Harris Khalique is a Pakistani columnist and intellectual who has a keen interest in social democratic politics. He is based in Islamabad
.
, Pakistan
, on 20th October 1966,to parents of Kashmiri origin. Harris’s father Khalique Ibrahim Khalique
(1926-2006) was educated and trained in literature and filmmaking in Lahore
and Bombay(now Mumbai
) before moving to Karachi
.He was a documentary filmmaker of Pakistan
,a writer, poet and ardent social activist. Harris was raised in Karachi but travelled across Pakistan from a very young age and spent considerable time in Hyderabad
(Sindh
), Tando Mohammed Khan(Sindh) and Lahore, where a part of his mother's family lives.
from NED University of Engineering and Technology
. Later, he earned a Master’s degree in Development Management and Development Studies from London School of Economics and Political Science. He started his career as an engineer and worked for more than a year on instrumentation of power plants, then switched to the fields of community development and human rights as a student and young professional. He moved to Islamabad in 2001 where he now lives.
and Transport and General Workers Union while in the UK. He played a key role in initiating the "Awami Party Pakistan" in November 2008, which claims to be committed to bringing 'fundamental changes' in the structure of the state and society with a particular focus on the rights of workers, peasants, women and religious minorities.
and English
with some collections of poetry to his credit and some of his poems anthologised by University of Georgia Press
, W.W. Norton and Co. and Oxford University Press
and on the web at lyrikline.org
. He also co-wrote a book of creative non-fiction with partition of South Asia
in 1947 serving as the backdrop.Besides contributing occasionally to other magazines, journals and newspapers, he writes a weekly column in The News International
.
Prose
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
.
Background and Early Life
Harris Khalique was born in KarachiKarachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, on 20th October 1966,to parents of Kashmiri origin. Harris’s father Khalique Ibrahim Khalique
Khalique Ibrahim Khalique
Khalique Ibrahim Khalique was a Pakistani documentary filmmaker and writer.- Life and Works :...
(1926-2006) was educated and trained in literature and filmmaking in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
and Bombay(now Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
) before moving to Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
.He was a documentary filmmaker of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
,a writer, poet and ardent social activist. Harris was raised in Karachi but travelled across Pakistan from a very young age and spent considerable time in Hyderabad
Hyderabad, Sindh
is the second largest city in the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is the seventh largest city in the country. The city was founded in 1768 by Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro upon the ruins of a Mauryan fishing village along the bank of the Indus known as Neroon Kot...
(Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
), Tando Mohammed Khan(Sindh) and Lahore, where a part of his mother's family lives.
Education
He attended Cantonment Public School and D.J. Sindh Government Science College, Karachi, before graduating in Mechanical EngineeringMechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
from NED University of Engineering and Technology
NED University of Engineering and Technology
The Nadirshaw Eduljee Dinshaw University of Engineering and Technology is a public university in Karachi, Pakistan. It was founded in 1922 as an engineering college, making it the oldest school in Pakistan for educating graduate engineers....
. Later, he earned a Master’s degree in Development Management and Development Studies from London School of Economics and Political Science. He started his career as an engineer and worked for more than a year on instrumentation of power plants, then switched to the fields of community development and human rights as a student and young professional. He moved to Islamabad in 2001 where he now lives.
Political and Social Activism
From his high school days, he remained active in student politics. He was not allowed to travel abroad during the Zia-ul-Haq regime, his writings faced censorship and the video of a song written by him was banned during the terms of both Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto in the 1990s. He had also worked with Qaumi Inqilabi Party and Pakistan People’s Party in the late 1980s. He remained associated with Progressive Writers Association in PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and Transport and General Workers Union while in the UK. He played a key role in initiating the "Awami Party Pakistan" in November 2008, which claims to be committed to bringing 'fundamental changes' in the structure of the state and society with a particular focus on the rights of workers, peasants, women and religious minorities.
Writing
Harris is also a poet in UrduUrdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
with some collections of poetry to his credit and some of his poems anthologised by University of Georgia Press
University of Georgia Press
The University of Georgia Press or UGA Press is a publishing house and is a member of the Association of American University Presses.Founded in 1938, the UGA Press is a division of the University of Georgia and is located on the campus in Athens, Georgia, USA...
, W.W. Norton and Co. and Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
and on the web at lyrikline.org
Lyrikline.org
lyrikline.org hosts contemporary international poetry as audio and text , plus bibliographies and biographies for each poet.lyrikline.org was started in November 1999 as a German-language site...
. He also co-wrote a book of creative non-fiction with partition of South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
in 1947 serving as the backdrop.Besides contributing occasionally to other magazines, journals and newspapers, he writes a weekly column in The News International
The News International
The News International , published in tabloid size, is the largest English language newspaper in Pakistan. The News has an ABC certified circulation of 140,000. It is published from Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi/Islamabad...
.
Publications
Poetry- Ishq Ki Taqveem Mein (Urdu, 2006)
- Between You and Your Love (English, 2004)- ISBN 969-441-114-9
- Purani Numaish (Urdu, 2001)
- Divan (English, 1998) - ISBN 969-8437-00-2
- If Wishes Were Horses (English, 1996)
- Aaj Jab Hui Baarish (Urdu, 1991)
Prose
- Pakistan Mein Siyasi Tabdeeli Ki Samt (co-written, Urdu, 2007)
- Pakistan: The Question of Identity (English, 2003)
- Unfinished Histories (co-written, English, 2002)- ISBN 969-516-065-4