SARGODHA: Renowned poet, critic, intellectual and writer Dr Wazir Agha was laid to rest at his ancestral graveyard at Wazirkot 56/SB here on Friday. Thousands of people from various walks of life, included Akdami Adbiat chairman Iftikhar Arif, Dr Anwar Sadid, Dr Rashid Amjad and Dr Anwar Khalid Mehmood, attended his funeral. He is survived by 43-year-old son Dr Saleem Agha Qazalbash, a renowned critic. Dr Wazir Agha was born on May 18, 1922 at 56/SB and later the village was named after him. He got his early education from Lahore and belonged to a landlord family. He lived in the city even after achieving international fame. The government awarded him Sitara-e-Imtiaz for his services to literature. He was also nominated for Nobel Prize two times and once in 1994. He visited Sweden and met the Nobel Prize committee members. He wrote over 50 books on poetry and prose. He was known as a critic and also led a literary group in the 1970s. Dr Wazir Agha and Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi, who also belonged to Sargodha, worked for the promotion of literature. He was running a literary magazine, Auraq.
