>4. In modern Urdu poetry, there are lots of Ghazal's which do
>NOT follow the restriction of same 'Beher' on both the lines
>of Sher. [ My example in 'Maqta', the Sher by Shakil, is one. ]
>But even in these Ghazal's, 'Kaafiyaa' and 'Radif' are present.

Greetings Harish ji,

I read the entire post and it is really very informative as it delves into the nuances of Ghazal and differentiates it from other genres in Urdu poetry. Thank you.

However, the point no.4 under "Exceptions" is a bit misleading. All the misras in a Ghazal HAVE TO follow the same baHr. The example of Shakil that you have cited does not have 2 different baHr.
jab bhi milte hain, to kehte hain, "kaise ho 'Shakil'",
iske aage to koi baat nahin hoti hai

The first misra is missing a "kih" which might have caused the confusion. jab bhi milte hain to kahte hain kih "kaise ho Shakeel"

The first misra is "ramal musamman maKHbuun mahzuuf 2122 1122 1122 112",
while the second misra is "ramal musamman maKHbuun mahzuuf maqtuu3 2122 1122 1122 22".
These are not considered 2 different baHr, but rather 2 variations that this baHr is allowed (as demonstrated in your example) because it doesn't dampen the rhythm.
The last rukn in this baHr can alternate between 22 and 112. (The first rukn can also switch from 2122 to 1122 without affecting the rhythm)

And lastly, this is not a feature of modern Urdu poetry, rather it has always been a part of Urdu and Farsi ghazal since a very long time.
Quoting Meer here for reference:
meer ham mil ke bahut KHush hue tum se pyaare
is KHaraabe meiN meri jaan tum aabaad raho

Regards,
Babar