The dire need of opensource unicode Nastaleeq Font
The Dire Need of an Open-Source Unicode Nastaleeq Font
For Urdu publishers, bloggers, researchers, and web administrators, a reliable Nastaleeq font is not a minor technical detail — it is the foundation of readable Urdu on the web. When a font is commercially locked, restricted in use, or tied to a specific software ecosystem, the entire Urdu digital community is forced to work within boundaries that do not suit open publishing, free distribution, or long-term web accessibility.
That is why the question of an open-source Unicode Nastaleeq font matters so much. It is not simply about style or appearance. It is about freedom of use, ease of installation, and the ability to publish Urdu content without depending on commercial gatekeepers. For anyone running a blog, managing a newspaper site, or building Urdu content for the wider internet, this issue affects daily work in a very practical way.
Why the Urdu community needed a free Unicode Nastaleeq
Before the release of AlQalam Taj Nastaleeq Unicode font, the Urdu community did not have access to a free, open-source Unicode Nastaleeq font. A Unicode version of Jameel Noori Nastaleeq existed, but its ligatures had been sold by Mirza Jameel Ahmed to InPage, the publishing software developed by Concept Software. Because of that arrangement, the font could not be freely used or distributed on a commercial or public basis without restrictions.
Alvi Nastaleeq Unicode also carried legal complications, since most of its ligatures were derived from Jameel Noori Nastaleeq. In such a situation, Urdu users still lacked a truly open font that could be freely used by the community without commercial limitations. That gap created a real need for a new solution.
The birth of AlQalam Taj Nastaleeq
It was in response to this very problem that Janab Shakir-ul-Qadree came forward with the idea of developing a free, open-source Unicode Nastaleeq font dedicated to the technologically active Urdu community. That effort eventually led to the creation of AlQalam Taj Nastaleeq Unicode Font.
The project was not just a technical exercise. It was also a response to a larger issue that had long troubled Urdu publishing: the dependence on proprietary fonts and commercial control over a script that belongs to millions of users. In the view of many Urdu writers and developers, the community needed a font that could be used openly, shared freely, and adapted without legal uncertainty.
Shakir-ul-Qadree's contribution
At a recent event held in honour of the creator of Taj Nastaleeq, Janab Shakir-ul-Qadree explained the background of the issue in simple terms. He traced the story back to the 1980s, when Mirza Jameel Ahmed developed the ligatures for Noori Nastaleeq in Pakistan. He also referred to the later history of machine-based Nastaleeq, including the sale of Noori Nastaleeq ligatures to India, the creation of InPage by an Indian software company, and the widespread use of pirated InPage in Pakistan.
He further noted that by 2008, Alvi Nastaleeq and Jameel Noori Nastaleeq Unicode versions had appeared, but the community still remained dependent on systems that were either commercial or legally complicated. In that environment, many people began thinking seriously about an open-source Nastaleeq font of their own. That thinking eventually took shape in the form of AlQalam Taj Nastaleeq, developed by Shakir-ul-Qadree and his team.
Why the community welcomed it
According to the account shared at the event, questions were also raised about whether Noori Nastaleeq could have been made free for public benefit. Shakir-ul-Qadree reportedly explained that attempts had been made to request that Mirza Jameel Ahmed release it freely for the broader Urdu public, but the request was refused. He also mentioned that during the development of AlQalam Taj Nastaleeq, offers were made to buy the font, including one from the family associated with Jameel Noori Nastaleeq and another from InPage-linked representatives, but both were declined.
The message was clear: the purpose of AlQalam Taj Nastaleeq was not profit, but public access. It was built for Urdu users, not for monopoly. That is why many in the Urdu community still see it as an important milestone in digital Urdu publishing.
A needed step for digital Urdu
The release of an open-source Unicode Nastaleeq font represents much more than a software update. It gives Urdu users a practical, lawful, and community-oriented tool for writing and publishing online. It also reduces dependence on commercial software and helps preserve the future of Urdu typography in open digital spaces.
For that reason, the development of AlQalam Taj Nastaleeq deserves appreciation. It answered a genuine need, and it did so with a spirit of service to the Urdu-speaking world.
We salute Janab Shakir-ul-Qadree and his team for this contribution to Urdu digital culture.