ISLAMABAD: `Although there are a number of writers in Pakistan, there is no one who writes like Habib Jalib because no one gets involved in politics.

Even those journalists who frequently write on such issues claim that they have nothing to do with politics,` said National Party Chief Senator Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo.

He was speaking at the launching ceremony of the book `Urdu Nazam Ki Azeem Riwayat` (The great tradition ofUrdu poetry), written by Sarwar Javed.

The book critically analyses works of 21 poets.

Senator Bizenjo said Jalib wrote despite a number of difficulties and the writers of the current era should also follow in his footsteps.

The author of the book, Sarwar Javed, said that in 1987 he wrote an article in which he stated that the quality of Urdu literature is deteriorating.

`I was immediately criticised by a number of people. At the time there were around 300 prominent Urdu poets but today, there are even fewer which proves that I was right at the time,` he said.

Mr Javed, who is also a poet,said that there is even a shortage of critics so he decided to write a book in which he critically analyses poetry.

`Before writing about any poet, I read their entire works which took one and a half year to complete,` he said.

He said that poets should remain aware of current issues, otherwise they will do nothing but to copy the poetry of past in their own words.

Renowned scholar, poet and critic Dr Ehsan Al
`Our religious scholars were not as narrow minded and they also had knowledge about the other religions of subcontinent, he said.