Shahid Akhtar has been writing poetry for over three decades. He writes out of personal passion and the inspiration that surrounded him in his hometown of Passu in Gojal, upper Hunza. He has never used his writings as a source of income and this is the first time he has been published. Through decades of hard work, Akhtar continued to write in his native language of Wakhi – derived from old Persian. His main poetic influences are Faiz Ahmad Faiz and Habib Jalib who wrote on social injustice and whose poetry gave a voice to the people. Shahid’s poetry reflects the calm elegance of a man with a deep intellect and a profound love for what he fears could one day be a dying language.
Ismailimail 