Abdul Qadir Junejo () () (13 September 1945 – 30 March 2020) was a novelist, playwright and columnist who wrote in Sindhi,

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

and English.

Early life

Junejo was born in the small village of Jinhan,

Tharparkar Tharparkar (Dhatki language, Dhatki/; , ), also known as Thar, is a district in Sindh province in Pakistan, headquartered at Mithi. Before Indian independence it was known as the Thar and Parkar (1901⁠–⁠1947) or Eastern Sindh Frontier Distr ...

Sindh Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...

. His father, Mureed Hussain Junejo, was a police officer. Junejo received his primary education in his native village. He then attended the University of Sindh where he earned a Bachelor of Arts, a

Bachelor of Education A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed. or BEd) is an undergraduate academic degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. A Bachelor of Education program typically lasts three to four years and combines both coursework and practical exp ...

and a Master of Arts in sociology.

Career

In 1962, Junejo started working as a primary school teacher, becoming a secondary school teacher in 1972. He was then appointed

Director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

at the

Institute of Sindhology Institute of Sindhology () is a resource for knowledge of the Sindh region in present-day Pakistan. History The history of the institute goes back to the establishment of the Sindhi Academy in 1962 by the University of Sindh. This was during th ...

, Jamshoro. He remained chairman of

Sindhi Language Authority The Sindhi Language Authority (abbreviated as SLA; ) is an autonomous institution under the Government of the Pakistani province of Sindh that fosters the Sindhi language and literature, works to develop and promote the language in Sindh, and to ...

from 15 September 2005 to 10 May 2008. He wrote 22 Sindhi dramas for radio and 11 Urdu dramas for television.

Publications

Junejo wrote books in English and Sindhi. *''Watoon, Ratyoon Ain Rol'' (1973) () *''Shikliyoon'' (1979) () *''Weender Wahi Lahandar Sijj'' (1984) () *''Wada Adeeb Wadyoon Galhyoon'' (1984) () *''Sono Roop Sijj'' (1986) () *''Everest te Charhai'' (1987) () *''Kursi'' (1998) () *''Chho Chha Ain Keein'' (1999) () *''Khat bin Adeeban Ja'' (1999) () *''Dar Dar ja Musafir'' (2001) () *''Wan Wan Jee Kathiee'' (2002) () *''The Dead River'' (2014) English ()

Dramas and serials

He wrote dramas and serials that aired on

Pakistan Television Corporation Pakistan Television Corporation (; reporting name: PTV); also known as ''Pakistan Television'', is the Pakistani state-owned broadcaster founded by the Government of Pakistan, operating under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. I ...

and commercial channels. He gained popularity in South Asia from his dramas ''Paranda'' and ''Dhool''. He wrote six

Sindhi language Sindhi ( ; or , ) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by more than 30 million people in the Pakistani province of Sindh, where it has official status, as well as by 1.7 million people in India, where it is a Scheduled languages of India, schedu ...

Drama serials and 13 in

language, aired on Media of Pakistan.

Recognition

The

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan () (abbreviated as GoP), constitutionally known as the Federal Government, commonly known as the Centre, is the national authority of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a federal republic located in South Asia, con ...

and

Government of Sindh The Government of Sindh () () is the provincial government of the province of Sindh, Pakistan. Its powers and structure are set out in the provisions of the 1973 Constitution, in which 30 Districts of 7 Divisions under its authority and ju ...

awarded him

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance (), officially known as the Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sp ...

in 2008 and Latif Award in 2016. He received several awards from local organizations.

Death

He died on 30 March 2020 in Jamshoro due to liver disease.

References

External links

Abdul Qadir Junejo’s Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Junejo, Abdul Qadir 2020 deaths 1945 births Sindhi writers Recipients of Latif Award Pakistani male short story writers Pakistani short story writers Pakistani Muslims Pakistani dramatists and playwrights Pakistani columnists Pakistani television writers Recipients of the Pride of Performance Sindhi-language writers Urdu-language columnists Pakistani novelists 20th-century Pakistani writers 20th-century Pakistani novelists 20th-century dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Pakistani male writers 21st-century Pakistani writers 21st-century novelists 21st-century dramatists and playwrights 21st-century male writers People from Tharparkar District Urdu-language dramatists and playwrights Urdu-language novelists