Masood Mufti (

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 ...

: مسعود مفتی‎; 10 June 1934 – 10 November 2020) was a Pakistani scholar of

language, short story writer, novelist, dramatist, columnist and a civil servant.

Early life and education

Masood Mufti was born in

Gujrat, Pakistan Gujrat () is the thirteenth largest city in the Pakistani province of Punjab. Located on the western bank of the Chenab River in northern Punjab's Chaj Do'āb, it serves as the headquarters of the eponymous district and division; and is t ...

on 10 June 1934. He passed his

matriculation Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term ''matriculation'' is seldom used no ...

exam in 1947 and earned his Master's degree in English literature from the

Government College, Lahore The Government College University (colloquially known as GCU; Punjabi, Urdu: ) is a public research university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Founded as Government College, Lahore, in 1864 under British administration, it became a university i ...

. In 1956, he obtained a diploma in public administration from St Catherine's College, the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, followed by a diploma in journalism in 1960.

Career

Masood Mufti was a member of the

Civil Service of Pakistan The Central Superior Services (CSS; or Civil Service) is a permanent elite civil service authority and the civil service that is responsible for running the bureaucratic operations and government secretariats and directorates of the Cabinet of ...

(CSP) from 1958 to 1994 and retired as Additional Secretary to the

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 ...

in grade BPS-21. He served as Secretary to the Government of East Pakistan, Education department at

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

. After the inception of

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

, he was held by India as a

Prisoner of War A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

for almost two years. His witness to this national tragedy became the topic of his several books, including ''Lamhe'' (1978), his diary. He was serving as Joint Secretary to the Government of Pakistan in the Economic Affairs Division (EAD) when General

Zia-ul-Haq Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (12 August 192417 August 1988) was a Pakistani military officer and statesman who served as the sixth president of Pakistan from 1978 until his death in an airplane crash in 1988. He also served as the second chief of ...

imposed martial law in 1977. In protest, he quit the federal government and went on deputation to serve in

Asian Development Bank The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank to promote social and economic development in Asia. The bank is headquartered in Metro Manila, Philippines and maintains 31 field offices around the world. The bank was establishe ...

(ADB). He spoke against the feudal-army axis in Pakistan's democratic decay. He went on to form the first public library in

Loralai Loralai (, ), also known as Bori (), is a Pakistani city that serves both as the division headquarter of Loralai Division and the district headquarter of Loralai District. It is located in the northeastern part of Balochistan province of Paki ...

district where he served as

district magistrate The district magistrate, also known as the district collector or deputy commissioner, is a career civil servant who serves as the executive head of a district's administration in India. The specific name depends on the state or union territo ...

. He remained deputy commissioner of

Larkana Larkana (; ) is a city located in the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is the 15th largest city of Pakistan by population. It is home to the Indus Valley civilization site Mohenjo-daro. The historic Indus River flows in east and south of the ci ...

, commissioner of

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 ...

. During the period of 1994 – 2009, he wrote newspaper articles in English and

for the Pakistani press, as well as wrote books on the subjects of politics and science.

Literary works

Masood Mufti published thirteen books. He wrote books on the subjects of politics, science, and history. Mufti's works include:

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 literature 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.

in 2010.List of civil awards winners
Dawn (newspaper), Published 16 August 2009, Retrieved 18 July 2023

Death

Masood Mufti died on 10 November 2020 of

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest (also known as sudden cardiac arrest CA is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When the heart stops beating, blood cannot properly Circulatory system, circulate around the body and the blood flow to the ...

Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...

, Pakistan aged 86. He was buried in Islamabad. Among the noted Pakistani writers that attended his funeral were two former chairmen of

Pakistan Academy of Letters The Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) () is a national academy with its main focus on Pakistani literature and related fields. It is the largest and the most prestigious learned society of its kind in Pakistan, with activities throughout the nat ...

Iftikhar Arif Iftikhar Hussain Arif (born 21 March 1944) is a Pakistani poet and litterateur of Urdu. His main theme is romantic Urdu poetry and he has headed the Pakistan Academy of Letters and the National Language Authority. Arif has received the Nishan ...

, Muhammad Qasim Bughio and many other writers.

Bibliography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mufti, Masood 1934 births 2020 deaths People from Gujrat, Pakistan Government College University, Lahore alumni Alumni of the University of Cambridge Pakistani civil servants Pakistani writers Recipients of the Pride of Performance