Mumtaz Shahnawaz (1912–1948) was a Pakistani diplomat and
writer
A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...
. She had held degrees in English literature.
Family
She was born to
Arain
Arain (also known as Raeen) are a large Punjabi agricultural tribe with strong political identity and organisation, found mainly in the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Sindh with a small population in parts of Indian Punjab, Uttar Pradesh ...
family of Mian Shahnawaz and his politically active wife,
Begum Jahanara Shahnawaz. Thus, she was the granddaughter of
Sir Muhammad Shafi, the influential leader from Punjab.
Pakistan Movement
Like her mother, Mumtaz Shahnawaz was drawn into the national movement as a Congress member but slowly shifted her sympathies towards to the
Muslim League Muslim League may refer to:
Political parties Subcontinent
; British India
*All-India Muslim League, Mohammed Ali Jinah, led the demand for the partition of India resulting in the creation of Pakistan.
**Punjab Muslim League, a branch of the organ ...
. Mumtaz or Tanzee as she was known to
her family and friends was greatly influenced by
Jinnah
Muhammad Ali Jinnah (, ; born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the ...
. Mumtaz Shahnawaz died at the age of 35 in
a plane crash months after the creation of Pakistan, en route to New York to represent Pakistan at the UN General Assembly, the first woman in Asia to preside over a legislative session.
Literary skills
Her novel, ''
The Heart Divided
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' was probably the first novel on the theme of the
partition of India. It tells the story of a Muslim family in North India during the 1940s. It provides a detailed account of Independence and Partition, though it stops short of the Partition riots. Upon her death, Shahnawaz left behind a first draft of the novel, which her family published in the edited form 11 years later.
Death
Shahnawaz died in 1948 in the crash of
Pan Am Flight 1-10
Pan Am Flight 1-10 was a passenger flight from London to Shannon Airport, during a flight round the world from San Francisco, California to New York City. On 15 April 1948 it crashed short of runway 23. 10 flight crew and 20 passengers died in th ...
.
See also
*
Arain
Arain (also known as Raeen) are a large Punjabi agricultural tribe with strong political identity and organisation, found mainly in the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Sindh with a small population in parts of Indian Punjab, Uttar Pradesh ...
*
Mian Family Baghbanpura
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shahnawaz, Mumtaz
Pakistan Movement
Pakistani diplomats
Pakistani writers
1948 deaths
1912 births
Mian family
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Ireland
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1948