AS URDU’S literary world is embracing the digital realities and moving towards the online versions, some of Urdu’s literary journals, in particular ones published by our universities’ Urdu departments, have adopted the digital-version-only strategy. So, the literature buffs who are not so tech-savvy may miss out on some new research and critical works, albeit the general standard of Urdu’s research journals published by universities has fallen dramatically.
One of the reasons for this tangible lapse is that many of the research papers published in university research journals are written by university teachers aspiring for promotions and are in fact just academic fluff intended for resume, churned out to fulfil some official requirement. Then there are some literary periodicals that print paper-based copies and some of them also offer the online versions on their websites. But the general mood is bleak as literary magazines are succumbing to readers’ apathy who are increasingly more interested in digital distractions. Literary magazines published by an educational institution or literary organisation have an easy sail though, since they don’t have to worry about finances or the sales. But some of Urdu’s literary magazines that are still fighting it out and print physical copies without any support from any institution must be appreciated, Mukalma and Zeest, for instance.
Mukalma, edited and published from Karachi by Mubeen Mirza since 1996, is one of the most prominent and widely-read literary magazines. Qurratul Ain Hyder, Shamsur Rahaman Farooqi, Intizar Husain, Ashfaq Ahmed, Bano Qudsiya and other shinning stars of the day used to contribute to Mukalma as is evident from its old issues. Presenting new and unpublished works is another of the magazine’s hallmarks. Mukalma’s just-published issues include prose and verse pieces penned by such well-known authors as Iftikhar Arif, Kishwer Naheed, Tehseen Firaqi, Zafar Iqbal, Sahar Ansari, Muhammad Ilyas, Syed Mazhar Jameel (passed away recently), Anwer Sha’oor, Saleem Kausar, Khwaja Razi Hyder, Najeeba Arif, Amjad Tufail, Afzal Murad, Sabeeh Rahmani, Rafaqat Ali Shahid, Tahir Masood, Zakia Mashhadi, Ikramullah, Ghulam Husain Sajid, M. Khalid Fayyaz and many others.
Just like Mukalma , Zeest, edited by Dr Ansar Sheikh, is not associated with any organisation, but maintains a good standard. Its recent, the June 2026 issue proffers some good reads. A special section on translation — especially a few Urdu translations of works by South American writers, inter alia — has made the issue attractive for those interested in translations.
It also proffers translation of a short story by the Japanese Nobel laureate Yasunari Kawabata rendered into Urdu by Khalid Farhad Dhariwal. Also, two novellas, one by Argentine surrealist writer Cesar Aira (translated into Urdu by Muneer Fayyaz) and Asghar Wajahat’s Hindi novella (translated by Muhammad Abbas) have made it to the issue. Other translations published include the ones by Saleem Siddiqi (Franz Kafka and Sommerset Maugham, English), Nangar Channa (Zubaida Metlo, Sindhi), Muhammad Hashim Hami (Jehangir Abbasi, Sindhi), Muhammad Abbas (folklorist Vijaydan Detha and Muhammad Basheer, both from Hindi), Muhammad Mubashir Nazwaz (Cuban writer Alejo Carpantier and Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes), Muhammad Muddassir Khan (Brazilian writer Joao Guimareas Rosa from English and Vinod Kumar Shukla from Hindi). Readers may cherish these translations, in particular the works of writers from South America as they are rarely translated into Urdu.
The 17th issue of Bunyad, a research journal published by Gurmani Centre, Lahore University of Management Sciences, and edited by Nasir Abbas Nayyar, has appeared in print and is also available on their website. It would not be any exaggeration to say that Bunyad is one of the few Urdu research journals that maintain stringent criteria. In this issue Nasir Abbas Nayyar’s editorial on Occidentalism and Khursheed Rizvi’s article titled Adonis: Journey from Tradition to Modernity, critically analysing the Syrian writer Adonis, born Ali Ahmed Said Esber, are the pick of the write-ups.
The new issue of Adabiyaat, published by Pakistan Academy of Letters, has been published. The periodical is known for publishing translations into Urdu from Pakistani languages and the latest issue, numbered 146, too, presents Urdu translations from these languages, such as, Punjabi, Sindhi, Balochi, Pashto, Seraiki, Brahui, Pothwari and Shina. Ta’beer-i-Nau is the research journal published by Urdu department of Islamabad’s Allama Iqbal Open University. The latest issue, Jan-June 2026, published under the editorship of Arshad Mahmood Nashad, has a thought-provoking editorial, discussing the falling standard of research, which is further endangered by AI’s use. The 50th issue of Makhzen, published by Lahore’s Quaid-i-Azam Library and edited by Baseera Ambreen, has also been published recently.
Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2026