LAHORE - Keeping the unfortunate tradition of forgetting the national heroes alive, the 4th death anniversary of the renowned multilingual poet Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi largely went unnoticed on Saturday, as no major ceremony was organised for remembering and paying tribute to the legend whose poetry and short stories still mesmerise the people across the world. The chapter of the departed poet and veteran writer equally prolific in traditional ghazal, nazm and prose as a short story writer, journalist and literary critic, has perhaps closed among the hearts of his follower writers who did not pay heed towards organising a single ceremony in his honour. A sole ceremony, however, was organised at his (Qasmi) residence despite the fact that Amjad Islam Amjad, Ata-ul-Haq Qasmi, Munnoo Bhai, Nazeer Naji, Khalid Ahmad and Najeeb Ahmad proudly claim Qasmis patronage. Notwithstanding Ata-ul-Haq Qasmi is currently discharging his duties as Lahore Arts Council Chairman Board of Governors, the Baithak (sitting place for the writers) presented a deserted look here on Saturday as none of the ceremony was held in respect of the renowned poet. Even not a single columnist dared to write few words in honour of a proverbial candle, Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi, on his fourth death anniversary. However, Khalid Ahmad published a Bayaz Number on Ahmad Nadeem Qasmis last month. Punjab Arts Council and Lahore Arts Council that claim to organise literary functions and world literary conferences also presented nothing on this occasion. Even Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) did not arrange any function in this regard. PAL Chairman Fakhar Zaman, a PPP activist, is busy in making tours of foreign countries with unknown writers. According to an Urdu columnist Haroonul Rasheed, Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi was the first poet whose first national anthem Pakistan Bananay Waly Pakistan Mubarak Ho was aired from Radio Pakistan, Rawalpindi Station. It is worth mentioning here that Qasmis early short stories such as Hiroshima Say Pehle, Hiroshima Kay Baad, Lawrence of Thalaibia and Rais Khana received world fame, which attacked pirs and feudal lords for their relentless exploitation of peasants. He also edited Phool and Taleem-i-Niswan in late 1930s. He also edited renowned publications such as Adab-e-Latif, Sawera, Naqoosh, and daily Imroze that he left when Ayub Khans Progressive Papers Limited took over in 1959. He was awarded the Pride of Performance in 1968 and Sitara-e-Imtiaz in 1980. Qasmi started publishing his own journal Fanoon in 1962, which became a vehicle for collating prose and poetry across the country and a major nurturing ground for emerging writers.