New standards of criticism after 1980 made the mental activity of the writer and the reader part of the criticism which resulted in highlighting the importance of reading in criticism. A few Urdu critics have also employed theoretical aspects of structuralism and post structuralism in perspective of new critical theories. Prominent among them are critics like Wazir Agha, Muhammad Ali Siddiqui, Zamir Ali Badayoni, Nasir Abbas Nayyer and Qamar Jameel. The article deals with such literary theories and their implications as regards to Urdu literature.