Najeeba Arif

Najeeba Arif is a Pakistani academic, Urdu scholar, poet, researcher, author and translator. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} She currently serves as the Chairperson of the Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL), ^[5] becoming the first woman to hold the post. ^{[6] [4]} She has made significant contributions to Urdu poetry. Dr. Professor Najeeba Arif has published numerous research articles and books in Urdu literature. ^[1]

Works

• Mukhotā (مکھوٹا – Urdu novel). Lahore: Aks Publications, 2023. ^[7]
• Nawāḥ-e-Kāzima (نواحِ کاظمہ – translation of Qasida Burda Sharif from Arabic into Urdu). Islamabad: Aimal Publications, 2022. ^[4]
• Rāgnī kī Khoj meñ (راگنی کی کھوج میں, memoirs). Lahore: Qausain Publishers, 2020 ^[4]
• Safar mulk-e-Oudh: Yūsuf Khān Kambalposh kā nādir wa ghair matbūʿa safarnāma (1847) (سیر ملک اودھ، یوسف خان کمبل پوش کا نادر وغیر مطبوعہ سفرنامہ). Lahore: Cooperative Society, 2017. ^[8]
• Maʿānī se Ziyādah (معانی سے زیاده, first poetry collection). Karachi: Sheherzade, 2015. (Awarded "Best Book of the Year" at Karachi Literature Festival by Oxford University Press). ^[4]
• 9/11 aur Pakistani Urdu Afsāna: Adab kā nav-muzāḥimatī rujḥān (نو گیارہ اور پاکستانی اردو افسانہ: اردو ادب کا نو مزاحمتی رُجحان, critical introduction and selected stories). Islamabad: Poorab Academy, 2011. ^[4]
• Mumtaz Mufti kā Fikrī Irtiqā: Nafsiyāt, Taṣawwuf aur Qurʾān (ممتاز مفتی کا فکری ارتقا: نفسیات، تصوف اور قرآن, research monograph). Lahore: Al-Faisal Nashran, 2011. ^{[9] [10]}
• Rafta o āinda: Urdu adab kā manẓar-nāmah (رفتہ و آئنده، اردو ادب کا منظر نامہ). Islamabad: Poorab Academy, 2008. ^[4]

1. Mumtaz Mufti: Shakhsiyat aur Fan (ممتاز مفتی: شخصیت اور فن, "Makers of Pakistani Literature" series). Islamabad: Pakistan Academy of Letters, 2007. ^[11]

Honours

Arif’s essays were included in the special issue of the periodical Sahifa published on Iftikhar Arif. ^[12]

References

1. "Najeeba Arif – Speaker". Karachi Literature Festival. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
2. "PAL gets first woman chairperson" – The Newspaper’s Staff Reporter. *Dawn*. 30 August 2023.
3. "Najeeba Arif – Rekhta poet profile" – Rekhta. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
4. "Muhammad Hameed Shahid at 77". HumSub (in Urdu). Retrieved 23 August 2025.
5. ڈاکٹر نجيبه عارف – کراچی لٹریچر فیسٹیول
6. "PAL represents Pakistani literati in two international conferences in China" – PR. *The News International*. 17 June 2025.
7. "مکھوٹا by Dr Riffat Rafique – HumSub" – ڈاکٹر رفعت رفیق۔ HumSub. 19 December 2023.
8. Salim-ur-Rahman, M. (3 February 2019). "Good and bad old Uvudh". The News on Sunday. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
9. "ممتاز مفتی کا فکری ارتقاء : PhD مقالہ". Internet Archive. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
10. "'Mumtaz Mufti ka Fikri Irtiqa' by Najeeba Arif", Mumtaz Mufti Official Website. (Page includes discussion and commentary on the book.) Retrieved 18 August 2025.
11. Arif, Najeeba. *Mumtaz Mufti: Shakhsiyat Aur Fan*. Academy Adabiyat Pakistan, Islamabad, 2007. E-book available via Rekhta website. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
12. "Special issue of periodical Sahifa on Iftikhar Arif published". The News International. 15 August 2025. Retrieved 18 August 2025.