He originally belonged to a family of Persian writers from Iran and started writing poetry at the age of 15,[3] He later married notable singer and actress Noor Jehan's older sister, Eidan Bai.

He is also credited for writing lyrics for Pakistan's patriotic song titled "Rang Laye Ga Shaheedon Ka Lahoo", sung by Noor Jehan.

During his career, he wrote two prominent naats such as "Shah-e-Madina Yasrab Ke Wali" and "Jo Na Hota Tera Jamal Hi".

Later, Khwaja Khurshid Anwar, a Pakistani filmmaker and a music director teamed up with several other people, including Tanvir Naqvi as songwriter.

The team succeeded in making some films between 1956 and 1959, focused on psychological issues experienced by actors due to multiple cultural conflicts.