Qudrat Ullah Shahab Biography
Qudratullah Shahab (قدرت اللہ شہاب ) was a godfearing bureaucrat and Urdu writer of Pakistan. His birth took place in Gilgit where he got his early education. He is well known for his autobiography ‘Shahab Nama. He is the only Indian Civil Servant who served three head of states, i.e., Governor General Ghulam Muhammad, President Iskandar Mirza, and President Ayub Khan.
Not only his recognition was due to serving bureaucrat but also, he gained attention as a great administrator. He was the principal secretary, information secretary, and education secretary in Pakistan. Qudrat Ullah Shahab holds the distinction as the god-fearing commissioner of Azad Kashmir.
Qudratullah Shahab married Iffat who was a house lady. She helped him through thick and thin. From Iffat Shahab, she had a boy Saqib Shahab. He was a prominent writer, government servant, and foreign diplomat from Pakistan. Despite all the works, he tried to bring harmony among the people at the lower level.
Early Life:
Qudratullah Shahab was born on 26 February 1917, in the house of Abdullah Sahib in Gilgit. His father was the resident of village Chimkor Sahib, district Ambala of Aligarh. Before migrating to Gilgit, Muhammad Abdullah was the student of MAO College of Aligarh and also remained protege under Sir Syed Ahmed Khan.
Education:
He got his early education from village Chimkor, district Ambala of state Jammu and Kashmir. Later, he did his MA English from Government College Lahore. In 1941, he joined Indian Civil Service through commission.
Serving Places:
After getting an appointment through ICS, initially, Shahab served in Bihar and Orissa. In 1943, appointed in Bengal as an administrator. After independence, he became the Secretary-General of Azad Kashmir Government. When General Yahya came to power in Pakistan then, he resigned from the Indian Civil Service and associated with UN agency UNESCO. During the period of President Yahya Khan, he became anxious and left Pakistan for England for a while.
UN Mission:
Qudratullah Shahab secretly visited the areas of occupied Arab territories to review Israel’s oppression and choked Israel’s abuses. Due to his service, UNESCO’s approved curriculum which introduced in the occupied Arab territories. Meanwhile, he was secretly doing his job, he put pressure on Isreal.
Awards And Recognition
Pakistan Post issued a stamp of Rs.15 in the honour of Qudratullah Shahab on Mach 23 2013. It was a great achievement after his death under the title of Men of Letters.
Besides above, Bano Qudsia paid tribute to this great civil servant by writing an autobiography ‘Mard e Abresham.’ ‘Zikr e Shahab’ and ‘Labbaik’ are two other tributary writings on his personality.
Literary Works:
The formation of Pakistan writer’s guild came under his supervision. Shahab’s most memorable literary work Shahab Nama unveiled the truths. It was a mystical work which later, exposed by Mumtaz Mufti in his autobiography ‘Alakh Nagri.’ Moreover, so many other writers like Mufti also paid homage to him in their writings.
Mysticism and Spiritualism:
Shahab Nama is somewhat a collection of spiritualism which evolves a lot of mysticism. It is a spiritual guide for readers who have their inclination towards Sufism. Mumtaz Mufti writes in Alakh Nagri;
“Since Shahab has opened his own secrets in the last chapter of Shahab Nama, I find no reason not to share experiences which I witnessed about the mysticism of Shahab”.
Qudratullah Shahab Books List
Here is the complete list of Qudratullah Shahab’s books.
- Shahab Nama (Autobiography)
- Ya Khuda Novel
- Maan Ji Afsane
- Surkh Feeta
- Nafsane
- Shahab Nagar
Death
Qudratullah Shahab died on July 24, 1986, in Islamabad and buried in the cemetery of H-8, Islamabad.
The whole nation paid homage to this legendary Urdu writer and diplomat after hearing the news of his death. A great journey of the great personality came to an end on this immortal world. Undoubtedly, we can not bear the loss but, it is a ritual that who comes in this world, has to leave it sooner or later.
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