KARACHI: The 16th death anniversary of renowned Urdu poet and lyricist Qateel Shifai was observed on Tuesday across the country.

Muhammad Aurangzeb, known as Qateel Shifai through his pen name, was born in Haripur in 1919 and passed away on July 11, 2001.

Besides Ghazals and Geet, Qateel also penned film songs. He was given awards in recognition of his contributions to literature. His poetry collection “Mutriba” is considered literary masterpiece.

He was awarded Pride of Performance in 1994 by the Government of Pakistan in recognition of his literary works. Qateel Shifai produced unmatchable works including Ghazals and poems, and gave life to the film industry through disseminating the message of love and deep philosophy of life.—NNI