Real name : Misree Khan
Known as Khatir Afridi
He was born in 1929 at Landikotal, Khyber PakhtunkhwaHe gained tremendous mass popularity, next only to Rahman Baba, due to his simple style and the deep pathos in his poetry.
Khatir was a few days old when his father died but his grandfather and uncle reared him very well and raised him like a son. Khatir, unfortunately, could not go to school. He took up a job at the Khyber Rifle’s camp as a gardener and later on entered the line of private business. But he was fond of poetry and he learnt to compose verses to the tunes of the rabab which was played by the maestro, Bagh-i-Haram, a resident of Malikdeen Khel who lived very close to Khatir.
When in the early 60s Gulab Sher sang ‘Sta manzal manzaloono ke yema, Rasedoo omaidoono ke yema,’ from Radio Pakistan, Peshawar, Khatir attained new heights of popularity
He started his poetic career at a very tender age by composing folk poetry including Loba, Tapa, Chartbeta, Geet and Nimakai but then switched over to the ghazal
Khkolay bo sar teet kri yara sta pu tasawar kay
Dair Khatira sta da Gazaloono pu suroono
His first book Da Khatir Kuliyat came out in 1998. Its second edition was published in 1999 while the third edition was brought out in 2004 and every edition sold out like hot cake.
A part of his poetry has been translated into English, German, French, Russian, Persian and Urdu. Khatir Afridi,
He is also known as the John Keats of Pashto Poetry,died in 1968 at the age 39.
