Prof. Iftikhar Husain Arif,
Prof. Iftikhar Husain Arif, the prominent scholar, renowned poet and outstanding intellectual of Pakistan officially assumed the position of the President of the Cultural Institute of the Economic Cooperation Organization on April 12, 2013.
Prof. Arif has headed the Pakistan Academy of Letters and National Language Authority and has held several senior Managerial positions at the National Book Foundation, Pakistan's Scholars and Writers Foundation and others. He has also taught as a visiting faculty in National University of Modern Languages (NUML).
He has received several awards including the high Hilal-e-Imtiaz (2005), Sitara-e-Imtiaz (1999), Pride of Performance (literature, 1989), Baba-e-Urdu Maulvi Abdul Haq Award (poetry, 1995), and Nuqush Award (1994) which are the highest literary awards granted by the Government of Pakistan.
He has undertaken researches in the fields of life and works and has had numerous publication records of books, translations and essays in prestigious journals. Three of his collections, Mehr-i-Doneem, Harf-i-Baryab and Jahan-e-Maloom have been published in several editions.
An anthology of his translated poetry has been published by Oxford University Press under the title, Written in the Season of Fear. His poetry has been translated into a number of languages, including English, Russian, German, Persian, and Hindi.