Ishrat Afreen born December 25, 1956 is an Urdu poet and women's rights activist named one of the five most influential and trend-setting female voices in Urdu Literature Her works have been translated in many languages including English, Japanese, Sanskrit and Hindi. The renowned ghazal singers Jagjit Singh & Chitra Singh also performed her poetry in their anthology, Beyond Time (1987). Famed actor Zia Mohyeddin also recites her nazms in his 17th and 20th volumes as well as his ongoing concerts.