Ashfaq Ahmed, PP, SI (Urdu: اشفاق احمد) (22 August 1925 – 7 September 2004) was a distinguished writer, playwright, broadcaster, intellectual and spiritualist from Pakistan. He was regarded by many as among the finest Urdu Afsana (short-story) writers alongside Saadat Hasan Manto, Qurratulain Hyder, Prem Chand, Bedi, Mirza Adeeb, Ismat Chughtai and Krishan Chander following the publication of his famous short-story Gaddarya ("The Shepherd") in 1955.
After Partition, when Ahmed arrived at the Walton refugee camp with millions of other migrants, he made many announcements on a megaphone. Later, he got a job in Radio Azad Kashmir, which was established on a truck that used to drive around in various parts of Kashmir. He then gained a lectureship at Dayal Singh College, Lahore for two years, after which he went to Rome to join Radio Rome as an Urdu newscaster. He also taught Urdu at Rome University. During his stay in Europe, he earned diplomas in the Italian and French languages from the University of Rome and the University of Grenoble, France. He also gained a training diploma in radio broadcasting from New York University.
He started writing stories in his childhood, which were published in Phool ("Flower") magazine. After returning to Pakistan from Europe, he created his own monthly literary magazine, Dastaango ("Story Teller"), and joined Radio Pakistan as a script writer. The Government of Pakistan appointed him editor of the popular Urdu weekly, Lail-o-Nahar ("Day and Night"), in place of poet Ghulam Mustafa Tabassum. In 1962, Ahmed started his weekly radio program, Talqeen Shah ("The Preacher") which made him popular among the people in towns and villages. It ran for three decades, the longest weekly radio show in the subcontinent. He was appointed director of the Markazi Urdu Board in 1966, which was later renamed as Urdu Science Board, a post he held for 29 years. He remained with the board until 1979. He also served as adviser in the Education Ministry during Zia-ul-Haq's regime. In the 1960s, he produced a feature film, Dhoop aur Saie ("Shadows and Sunshine"), which was not very successful at the box office.
In his later period of life, Ahmed was greatly inclined towards sufism, which was visibly reflected in most of his works. His close association with Qudrat Ullah Shahab and Mumtaz Mufti was also attributed for this tendency. Of-late, he used to appear in a get-together with his fans in television's program Baithhakh [The Guest Room] and Zaviya [The Dimension] wherein he gave swift but satisfying responses to each and every query, placed before him, explicitly by the youth of each gender, in a mystic style.
Life and career
Ahmed was born on 22 August 1925 in Firozpur, British Punjab. He obtained his early education in his native district. Shortly before independence in 1947, he migrated to Pakistan and made Lahore his abode. He completed his Masters in Urdu literature from Government College Lahore. Bano Qudsia, his wife and companion in Urdu literary circles who is also a novelist of Urdu, was his classmate at Government College.After Partition, when Ahmed arrived at the Walton refugee camp with millions of other migrants, he made many announcements on a megaphone. Later, he got a job in Radio Azad Kashmir, which was established on a truck that used to drive around in various parts of Kashmir. He then gained a lectureship at Dayal Singh College, Lahore for two years, after which he went to Rome to join Radio Rome as an Urdu newscaster. He also taught Urdu at Rome University. During his stay in Europe, he earned diplomas in the Italian and French languages from the University of Rome and the University of Grenoble, France. He also gained a training diploma in radio broadcasting from New York University.
He started writing stories in his childhood, which were published in Phool ("Flower") magazine. After returning to Pakistan from Europe, he created his own monthly literary magazine, Dastaango ("Story Teller"), and joined Radio Pakistan as a script writer. The Government of Pakistan appointed him editor of the popular Urdu weekly, Lail-o-Nahar ("Day and Night"), in place of poet Ghulam Mustafa Tabassum. In 1962, Ahmed started his weekly radio program, Talqeen Shah ("The Preacher") which made him popular among the people in towns and villages. It ran for three decades, the longest weekly radio show in the subcontinent. He was appointed director of the Markazi Urdu Board in 1966, which was later renamed as Urdu Science Board, a post he held for 29 years. He remained with the board until 1979. He also served as adviser in the Education Ministry during Zia-ul-Haq's regime. In the 1960s, he produced a feature film, Dhoop aur Saie ("Shadows and Sunshine"), which was not very successful at the box office.
Style
Ashfaq Ahmed's subtle sense of humour is reflected in his long-running radio programs and characters like Talqeen Shah, while several TV drama series based on his plays are still broadcast. His popular TV plays include Aik muhabbat sau afsanay ("Bunch of Love Stories"), Uchhay burj Lahore dey ("Barbicans of Lahore"), Tota kahani ("Story of the Parrot"), Lekin ("But"), Hairat kadah ("Incredibility") and Mun chalay ka sauda ("Bargain of the Stubborn"). Throughout his life, Ahmad endeavoured to reform society through his writings. He authored over twenty five books including a travelogue, Safar dar safar {"Long Way Journey"), with an atypical style. In fact, he gave a new mould to diction and locale situations which many of his readers would fondly remember.[original research?] He used Punjabi literary words very well in Urdu and introduced a new kind of prose, which was unique to him.[original research?] For his excellent literary work, he was awarded the President's Pride of Performance and Sitara-i-Imtiaz for meritorious services in the field of literature and broadcasting.In his later period of life, Ahmed was greatly inclined towards sufism, which was visibly reflected in most of his works. His close association with Qudrat Ullah Shahab and Mumtaz Mufti was also attributed for this tendency. Of-late, he used to appear in a get-together with his fans in television's program Baithhakh [The Guest Room] and Zaviya [The Dimension] wherein he gave swift but satisfying responses to each and every query, placed before him, explicitly by the youth of each gender, in a mystic style.
Death
Ashfaq Ahmed died of pancreatic cancer on 7 September 2004 at the age of 79.Works
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