The 8th UBL (United Bank Limited) Literary Awards were held in Karachi recently, celebrating the literary efforts of Pakistani writers at a local hotel. The event was attended by a host of writers, literary & media personalities, socialites and celebrities.
UBL has been holding these awards for last eight years to honour the writers of books, which are written by Pakistani authors and published in Pakistan.
The recent awards were given to the books, published in 2017 & 2018 in which over 130 entries were received for nominations in seven categories, announced for the awards. The esteemed panel of judges was consisted of the likes of Dr. Asghar Nadeem Syed, Dr. Asif Farrukhi, Mr. Ghazi Salahuddin, Dr. Arfa Syeda, Ms. Kishwar Naheed, Dr. Anwaar Ahmad and Mr. Masood Ashar, who shortlisted the entries.
The winners from each category are:
Urdu Fiction: Jindar by Akhtar Raza Salimi
Urdu Non-Fiction: Us Ko Ik Shakhs Samajhna Tou Munasib Nahin by Dr. Nasir Abbas Nayyar
Urdu Poetry: Tum Kabeer by Fahmida Riaz
Translation into Urdu: Dur Uftada Shehr Say Aik Taveel Nazam by Munawar Hussain
Children’s Urdu Literature: Nazmein, Pahelian Aur Nasr Paray by Shanul Haq Haqqi
English Non-Fiction: The Faltering State by Tariq Khosa
Children’s English Literature: Partition by Amina Azfar
For the first time in the history of these Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award was also presented to Ms. Zehra Nigah for her extensive and extraordinary body of work.
Sima Kamil, President & CEO UBL, during her speech, said “Pakistan is a wonderful mix of cultures, languages and ethnicities and our literary lineage is best proof of that. UBL considers it incumbent upon itself to recognize and inspire writers to continue contributing to the country’s literary wealth. We hope that future generations continue to take advantage of these literary treasures”.
