Elia migrated to Pakistan in 1957 and settled in Karachi.
He wrote his first Urdu couplet when he was just 8.
His famous poetry collections include Shayed, Ya'ni, Gumaan, Lekan, and Goya.
He had complete command over Arabic, Persian and Hebrew, and was a highly skilled translator.
For his literary services, he got the Presidential Pride of Performance Award.
He died on November 8, 2002, after a protracted illness.