The launch of Dr Talat Shabbir’s memoir Abu Jee took place on December 10, 2025 at the Pakistan Academy of Letters in Islamabad, drawing literary figures, friends and family to mark a deeply personal tribute.
Speakers from Pakistan’s literary and civil society reflected on the emotional depth of the work before Dr Talat Shabbir read intimate excerpts that moved the audience. The author’s reading underscored the memoir’s careful balance of memory and reflection, and the room responded to the candid portrayal of a son remembering his father.
Abu Jee traces the everyday moments and formative experiences that shaped Shabbir Hussain Bhatti’s relationship with his son, offering a vivid portrait of affection, discipline and quiet guidance. Dr Shabbir explores how ordinary events and shared lessons crystallise into a lifetime of meaning, and he frames his father’s passing as a point of reflection rather than only loss.
One of the central meditations in Abu Jee is on the inevitability of separation through death and on how remembrance preserves love. Through candid accounts and thoughtful observations, Dr Talat Shabbir argues that memories carry the legacy of a parent forward, turning sorrow into a source of ongoing inspiration for family and community alike.
Those who spoke at the event included Dr Maqsood Jaffri, Mrs Farrukh Khan, Dr Najeeba Arif, Hameed Shahid, Abdullah Hameed Gul, Saeed Raja, Dr Farhat Jabeen Virk and Dr Mahnaz Anjum, and the programme was moderated by noted educationist Dr Sher Ali. The gathering highlighted the resonance of Abu Jee for readers who value intimate memoir and reflections on fatherhood within Pakistan’s cultural context.
