Sialkot
Sialkot ( ur, ) is a city located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital of Sialkot District and the 13th most populous city in Pakistan. The boundaries of Sialkot are joined with Jammu (the winter capital of Indian administered Jammu and Ka ...
,
Punjab, British India
Punjab was a province of British India. Most of the Punjab region was annexed by the East India Company in 2 April 1849, and declared a province of British Rule, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British co ...
on 15 December 1926, to Shaikh Ataullah (1896 - 1968), a well-known literary scholar and professor of economics at the
Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University (abbreviated as AMU) is a Public University, public Central University (India), central university in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, which was originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as the Muhammadan Anglo-Orie ...
originally from
Jalalpur Jattan
Jalalpur Jattan ( pnb, , ur, ) is a city in Gujrat District in the province of Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab, Pakistan. It is the centre of Jalalpur Jattan Tehsil and about 50 km from Azad Kashmir, Kashmir.
History
When Alexander the Great ...
in the
Gujrat district
Gujrat ( Punjabi and ur, ), is a district of Punjab Province in Pakistan.
It is bounded on the northeast by Mirpur, on the northwest by the River Jhelum, which separates it from Jhelum District, on the east and southeast by the Chenab Ri ...
of Punjab, Masood was a graduate of the
Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University (abbreviated as AMU) is a Public University, public Central University (India), central university in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, which was originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as the Muhammadan Anglo-Orie ...
partition of India
The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...
in 1948. In 1949, he passed
Central Superior Services
The Central Superior Services (CSS; or Civil Service) is a permanent elite civil service authority, and the civil service that is responsible for running the bureaucratic operations and government secretariats and directorates of the Cabinet of ...
(CSS) examination and went on to serve at different important positions such as commissioner and federal secretary.
During his career, he served as chairman of the
Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation
Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) ( ur, ) is a state corporation of Pakistan working under Ministry of Industries and Production. It was established in 1952. PIDC was created to set up industries in such fields where large cap ...
Regional Cooperation for Development Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD) or Organization for Regional Cooperation and Development (ORCD) was a multi-governmental organization which was originally established on the 21st of July 1964 by Iran, Pakistan and Turkey, regional members ...
(RCD).
He wrote four books – Awaz-e-Dost, Safer Naseeb, Harf-e-Shouq, Loh-e-Ayyam – all of which are highly regarded in literary circles of
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
for their elegant prose and immaculate style. His last book was Harf-i-shouq that was published in July 2017.
Playwright
Asghar Nadeem Syed
Asghar Nadeem Syed (اصغر ندیم سید) (born 14 January 1950) is a Pakistani playwright, TV drama serial writer and poet. He has written shows for the Pakistani state channel, PTV, STN.
Early life and career
Syed was born in 1950 in th ...
reportedly said, "Mukhtar Masood was a great writer with a style similar to Qudratullah Shahab. His writings incorporated a spiritual colour, but the best thing about his work was the information it contained. He was fond of study which is why whatever he wrote was very comprehensive".
He played an important role in the construction of
Minar-e-Pakistan
Minar E Pakistan ( ur, , literally "Tower of Pakistan") is a tower located in Lahore, Pakistan. The tower was built between 1960 and 1968 on the site where the All-India Muslim League passed the Lahore Resolution (which was later called the Pak ...
historic monument in
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
, Pakistan. He was serving as Lahore's deputy commissioner at that time and took keen interest in the execution of the construction project. This historic national monument was constructed in the 1960s during the
Ayub Khan
Ayub Khan is a compound masculine name; Ayub is the Arabic version of the name of the Biblical figure Job, while Khan or Khaan is taken from the title used first by the Mongol rulers and then, in particular, their Islamic and Persian-influenced s ...
's regime. His contribution in construction of Mangla and Tarbela Dams of Pakistan is also vital. He established a state-of-the-art school and college at Chowki Village of Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Pakistan and also donated all his personal books and library to the said school. He was a real patriot and a true Pakistani.
Awards and recognition
* To honor his contributions to Pakistani literature, he was awarded
Sitara-i-Imtiaz
The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially meritorious contribution to the ...
(Star of Excellence) Award by the
President of Pakistan
The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
, Pakistan on 15 April 2017. Among the survivors are two sons and a daughter.
Bibliography
Books by him
*''Eye witnesses of history; a collection of letters addressed to Quaid-i-Azam'', 1968. Edited by Mukhtar Masood.
*''Āvāz-i dost'', 1973. An account of the
Pakistan Movement
The Pakistan Movement ( ur, , translit=Teḥrīk-e-Pākistān) was a political movement in the first half of the 20th century that aimed for the creation of Pakistan from the Muslim-majority areas of British India. It was connected to the pe ...
.
*''Safar naṣīb'', 1981. Reminiscences of a Pakistani civil service officer; include travel impressions of different parts of the world.
*''Lauḥ-i ayyām'', 1996. On the
Islamic revolution of Iran
The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...
, 1979, written by a civil servant who had been there for four years during the revolution.
*''Ḥarf-i shauq'', 2018. Autobiographical reminiscences of an Urdu author and ex-civil servant of Pakistan, with special reference to his college life at
Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University (abbreviated as AMU) is a Public University, public Central University (India), central university in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, which was originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as the Muhammadan Anglo-Orie ...