Abu-Al-Asar Hafeez Jullundhri

Abul Asar Hafeez Jalandhari PP HI (; 14 January 1900 – 21 December 1982) was a Pakistani poet who wrote the lyrics for the National Anthem of Pakistan and the Anthem of Azad Kashmir.

He wrote in Urdu and Persian languages and is widely celebrated throughout Pakistan.

Early life Hafeez Jalandhari was born in Jalandhar, Punjab, British India on 14 January 1900 into a Punjabi Muslim family. He had a natural liking for poetry and became a disciple of Maulana Ghulam Qadir Bilgrami, a Persian language poet. Hafeez promoted the cause of creation of Pakistan and became an active member of the Pakistan Movement.

Literary career From 1922 to 1929, Jalandhari remained the editor of a few monthly magazines, namely: Nonehal, Hazar Dastaan, Teehzeeb-e-Niswan, and Makhzin.

On 23 February 1949, the Government of Pakistan formed a committee to prepare Pakistan's national anthem. Out of the 723 people who competed to write the national anthem, Hafeez Jalandhari's lyrics were selected as the national anthem of Pakistan. Though considered a devout Muslim, he also wrote Krishn Kanhaiya, a poem in praise of the Hindu god Krishna.

Marriage Jalandhari married his cousin, Zeenat Begum, in 1917, at the age of 17. They had seven children, all girls. In 1939, he took a young English woman of Lithuanian descent, Anela, as his second wife. They had a daughter; the marriage ended in divorce. His first wife, Zeenat Begum, died in 1954. In 1955, Jalandhari married Khurshid Begum, with whom he had a daughter.

Awards and recognition For his literary and patriotic services to Pakistan, Jalandhari was awarded the Hilal-i-Imtiaz Award by the President of Pakistan.