Death of a Renowned Urdu Literati

Mohammad Gill

September 9, 2004

Ashfaq Ahmed was a noted Urdu short story writer and a playwright. I learnt of his death from Dawn (September 8, 2004) but the news item was reported dated September 7. He was 79 at the time of his death. Cancer of the pancreas was the cause of death.

He was a distinguished writer after the generation of Manto, Bedi, and Krishan Chandar. His short story ‘Guddriya’ particularly impressed me. His wife Bano Qudsia is also a magnificent Urdu short story writer and a novelist. I remember in the late 1950s, I came across a cute, little Urdu magazine called ‘Daastango’ (story teller). It was edited by Ashfaq. At that time I was quite betaken by my passion for Urdu literature and the listings of the first issue of Daastango that I laid hands on interested me very much. I also read quite a bit of English novels and short stories at that time. The translated works of Victor Hugo (Les Miserable) and Guy de Maupassant held my interest particularly. I translated one of Maupassant’s stories (Necklace) and submitted it for publication in Daastango. I called the story “Jhootay Moti.” Lo and behold! it got published. That was perhaps the only piece that I published in Urdu. It provided me with an incentive to read more of Ashfaq and Qudsia Bano.

During late 1960s and until about the end of the twentieth century, I got busy with my professional work and my research activities got nearly my full and undivided attention. But in between during the spells of monotonous boredom and hours of leisure, I would acquire Urdu works for light reading. I read Mumtaz Mufti’s Labbaik from which I developed a curious interest for Qudrat Ullah Shahab who was not really unknown to me earlier on. I had read some of his stories, which were interesting. Then I bought Shahab Namah and came to know of a special relationship, which held Shahab, Mufti, and Ashfaq together. Mufti made much of Shahab’s Sufistic leanings quite openly and suggested that Shahab had a ‘hotline’ to God. He had a station in the esoteric world. He was one of the “Khuda Raseedahs”. Ashfaq wouldn’t acknowledge any such claims nor would he outright reject them.

Bano seemed to be especially devoted to Shahab who would suggest various Quranic verses to her for incantation. After the death of Shahab, Ashfaq edited a book called ‘Zikr-e-Shahab’ which opened with Mufti’s sketch (after a poem), ‘ Qudrat Ullah Shahab kay teen Pahloo’, and ended with Ashfaq’s “Baba Saheba.” The implicit devotion (and explicit, in case of Mufti) in which Shahab was held by them, oozes out from their pieces.

Ashfaq was the Director General of the Markazi Urdu Board and worked directly under Shahab who was the Secretary for Education at that time. Mufti also worked under Shahab.

Ashfaq’s Radio drama “Talqeen Shah” in the early 1960s was a blockbuster particularly in Punjab. Ashfaq also played the central role in it..

Ashfaq is survived by his wife and three sons. May God rest his soul.