Mr. Harris Khalique

Harris Khalique is a poet in Urdu and English, essayist, columnist, and civil society activist. Khalique has authored eight collections of verse poetry, as well as a book of creative nonfiction.

In 2013, he was awarded the UBL Literary Excellence Award in the category of Urdu poetry for his verse collection of Melay Mein. In March 2018, he received the Pride of Performance award from Pakistan's president as an acknowledgment of his contributions to Pakistani poetry.

He is also a University of Iowa Honorary Fellow in Writing and a recipient of the President’s Award for Pride of Performance. Over the last 25 years, he has successfully led, managed, and advised civil society organizations, community development projects, labor rights movements, and human rights campaigns in Pakistan, South Asia, and Europe. 

Currently, he is serving as the Secretary-General, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. Harris is also the leader of the "AAWAZ – Voice and Accountability Programme", a project of Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI) which is a private development company focusing on the rights of women and excluded groups in Pakistan.