Death anniversary of Qudrat Ullah Shahab being observed today

Lahore: The prominent Urdu author and civil servant Qudrat Ullah Shahab's 37th death anniversary is being observed today. 

Shahab was born on February 26, 1917, in Gilgit. He won a global essay contest at the age of 16 that was held in London by Readers Digest.

He was fluent in both Urdu and English during his earliest years.

In addition to Government College Lahore, he also received his diploma from Prince of Wales College in Jammu.

He was appointed for the Indian Civil Service in 1940, and in 1943, he volunteered to help during the Bengal famine there.

After moving to Pakistan, he was initially appointed as a Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce before being appointed Chief Secretary of the newly created state of Azad Kashmir in Muzaffarabad.

Qudrat thereafter progressed to the position of Deputy Commissioner in Jhang, Punjab.

In his role as Punjab's Director of Industries, he mostly dealt with difficulties related to settling migrant populations.

He also served as Pakistan's ambassador to the Netherlands in 1962 and later as that country's secretary of information and education.

Shahab also has the distinction of having worked for three chiefs of state: President Iskander Mirza, President Ayub Khan, and Governor-General Ghulam Muhammad.

Additionally, he provided writing in both English and Urdu for current publications and periodicals published by Pakistan Writers Guild.

His autobiography Shahab Nama, one of the best-selling autobiographies in Pakistan even now, is what most people know him for.

He also wrote Ya Khuda, Surakh Feeta, Maan Ji (Collection of Short Stories), and Nafsaanay.

On July 24, 1986, he passed away in Islamabad.