Ahmad Bashir ( Punjabi,

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

: احمد بشیر; March 24, 1923 – December 25, 2004) was a writer, journalist, intellectual and film director from

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. He was the father of leading television artists

Bushra Ansari Bushra Ansari () is a Pakistani actress, comedian, singer, and playwright in Punjabi and Urdu cinema, who started her career as a child performer in the 1960s. Ansari won numerous awards during her career, including the Presidential Pride of Per ...

Asma Abbas Asma Abbas () is a Pakistani actress, producer, singer and host known for her supporting roles in Urdu films and television. She played the role of Fehmida in 2018 acclaim serial '' Ranjha Ranjha Kardi''. She hosted celebrity talkshow ''Awaz Da ...

Sumbul Shahid Sumbul Shahid (1 January 1954 – 6 May 2021) was a Pakistani actress, singer, and host. She was the daughter of Ahmad Bashir (Urdu: احمد بشیر; 24 March 1923 – 25 December 2004) a writer, journalist, intellectual, and film director fr ...

and poet & author Neelam Ahmad Bashir and son Humayun Sheikh. Begum Parveen Atif, also an

short story writer, columnist, travelogue writer in Urdu and Punjabi, was his sister. His wife Mehmooda was his partner since 1947. He was a close friend of

writers Mumtaz Mufti and

Ibn-e-Insha Sher Muhammad Khan (), ( Punjabi, ), better known by his pen name Ibn-e-Insha, (), ( Punjabi, ) (15 June 1927 – 11 January 1978) was a Pakistani Urdu poet, humorist, travelogue writer and newspaper columnist. Along with his poetry, he ...

. Mumtaz Mufti helped him join the now defunct Urdu-language daily newspaper ''Imroze'' after the

independence of Pakistan The Pakistan Movement was a religiopolitical and social movement that emerged in the early 20th century as part of a campaign that advocated the creation of an Islamic state in parts of what was then British Raj. It was rooted in the two-nation th ...

Early life

Ahmad Bashir was born in Eminabad near

Gujranwala Gujranwala is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fourth most-populous city in the Pakistani province of Punjab. Located in northern-central Punjab's Rachna Doab, it serves as the headquarters of its Gujranwala District, epony ...

, ( Punjab, British India) on 24 March 1923. He claimed Kashmiri ethnic background. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from

Srinagar Srinagar (; ) is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary ...

and shifted to

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

for a career in acting but soon started writing for film magazines. After the formation of Pakistan in 1947, he came back to Punjab to settle permanently in Pakistan.

Career

After the

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

of Pakistan in 1947, Ahmad Bashir worked for several newspapers in Pakistan. However, he is known for his days at Daily Imroze with particular fondness. He worked as a sub-editor at ''Imroze'' newspaper where he introduced feature writing for the first time in

press. He also obtained training in film direction from Hollywood on state scholarship. Bashir also worked for the Department of Films & Publications,

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan () (abbreviated as GoP), constitutionally known as the Federal Government, commonly known as the Centre, is the national authority of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a federal republic located in South Asia, con ...

, and later for National Film Development Corporation, Pakistan (NAFDEC) during

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979) was a Pakistani barrister and politician who served as the fourth president of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973 and later as the ninth Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan from 19 ...

regime. He resigned after General Zia-ul-Haq imposed martial law in the country in 1977. He faced bitter hardships during this period in which he was never allowed to write columns in newspapers. Bashir was also a portrait writer. His book ''Jo Milay Thay Raaste Mein'' (My Fellow Travelers) contains pen sketches of eminent literary personalities including Mumtaz Mufti, Krishan Chandar, Meeraji, Chiragh Hasan Hasrat,

Hasrat Mohani Syed Fazl-ul-Hasan (1 January 1875 – 13 May 1951), known by his Takhallus, pen-name Hasrat Mohani, was an List of Indian independence activists, Indian independence activist and a poet in Urdu. .Together with Swami Kumaranand, he is regarded ...

and Kishwar Naheed. He also wrote an autobiographical novel ''Dil Bhatkey Ga'' (The Restless Heart). In 1969, Bashir directed and produced an Urdu film, '' Neela Parbat''. This film was considered Pakistan's early experimental feature films. However, the film proved to be too much of an alternative genre at the time and flopped at the box-office. After the failure of '' Neela Parbat'', Bashir never ventured back into film making or film production.

Awards and recognition

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance (), officially known as the Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sp ...

Award in 1994 by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

Death

Ahmad Bashir died in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

liver cancer Liver cancer, also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy, is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary in which the cancer starts in the liver, or it can be liver metastasis, or secondar ...

on 25 December 2004 at age 81.

References

External links

1923 births 2004 deaths People from Gujranwala District Urdu-language writers Pakistani literary critics Pakistani filmmakers Pakistani male journalists Pakistani film directors Journalists from Lahore Writers from Lahore Pakistani film producers Recipients of the Pride of Performance {{Pakistan-journalist-stub