Parveen Shakir ( 24 November 1952 – 26 December 1994) was a Pakistani poet, teacher and a civil servant of the government of Pakistan. She is best known for her poems, which brought a distinctive feminine voice to Urdu literature, and for her consistent use of the rare grammatical feminine gender for the word "lover". Shakir was born in Karachi, Pakistan, to a family of Urdu-speaking Shia Muslims. Her father, Syed Shakir Hussain Zaidi, was a civil servant, and her mother, Afzal-un-Nissa, was a homemaker. Shakir was educated at the Government Girls' High School in Karachi, and then at the University of Karachi, where she studied English literature. After graduating from university, Shakir worked as a teacher for a few years. She then joined the government of Pakistan as a civil servant, and worked in the Ministry of Education. In 1976, she married Syed Murad Ali, a civil servant. The couple had one son, Syed Ali Hamza. Shakir began writing poetry at a young age. Her first collection of poems, Teesra Aasman (The Third Sky), was published in 1976. She went on to publish several more collections of poetry, including Aitebaar (Trust), Dard-e-Dil (The Pain of the Heart), and Aag (Fire). Shakir's poetry is known for its raw emotion, its exploration of female sexuality, and its critique of social and political injustice. She was a vocal critic of the Pakistani government, and her poetry often dealt with themes of oppression, violence, and displacement. Shakir died in a car accident in Islamabad, Pakistan, on 26 December 1994. She was only 42 years old. Her death was a major loss to the Urdu literary world. She is considered one of the most important Urdu poets of the 20th century, and her work continues to be read and admired by people all over the world. In 2013, the Government of Pakistan posthumously awarded Shakir the Hilal-e-Imtiaz, the second-highest civilian award in Pakistan. She was also awarded the Sitara-e-Imtiaz, the third-highest civilian award in Pakistan, in 1989. Shakir's poetry has been translated into many languages, including English, French, and Arabic. Her work has been praised by critics for its originality, its power, and its emotional depth. She is considered one of the most important Urdu poets of the 20th century, and her work continues to be read and admired by people all over the world.