Three Tragic Voices of Urdu Poetry: Shakeb Jalali, Mustafa Zaidi, and Sara Shagufta Introduction Urdu literature has produced some of the most sensitive and powerful poetic voices in South Asia. Among these, three poets stand out not only for their remarkable work but also for the tragic way their lives ended. Shakeb Jalali, Mustafa Zaidi, and Sara Shagufta each brought a unique style and perspective to Urdu poetry, but all three died by suicide, leaving behind a legacy of unfulfilled potential and haunting verse. Shakeb Jalali (1934–1966) Shakeb Jalali, born Syed Hassan Rizvi, was a deeply introspective poet whose work explored themes of alienation, pain, and the search for identity. Despite his limited output, his ghazals and nazms resonated with an intensity rarely seen in Urdu poetry. On 12 November 1966, at the age of 32, Jalali committed suicide by throwing himself in front of a train near Sargodha. His poetry, full of raw emotion, has since become symbolic of the stru...
2025 Punjab (Pakistan) floods Introduction In August 2025, the province of Punjab in Pakistan experienced one of its worst flood events in several decades, primarily due to **intense monsoon rains** and elevated flows in major rivers like the Ravi, Chenab, and Sutlej. Causes of the Flood Several interlinked factors contributed to the scale of the flood: 1.Record-breaking monsoon rainfall, which caused widespread **flash floods and riverine overflows** in the region. 2.Cross-border water release**: India reportedly released excess water from upstream dams, leading to sudden surges in rivers entering Pakistan’s Punjab. 3. The convergence of these **extreme weather** and **hydrological events** produced flooding of an unprecedented scale. Impact Human and Social Toll 1. The floods **submerged over 1,400 villages**, and **more than one million people** were **displaced or affected**, with some reports citing up to **1.2 million**. 2. The **death toll** in Punjab ranged...