Asif Aslam Farrukhi (; 16 September 1959 1 June 2020) was a

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''trans ...

, and literary critic active in both Urdu and English. He was also a public health expert and polyglot. He translated books from English into

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 ...

, as well as from Sindhi to Urdu and English. His collections of vernacular Pakistani writers translated in English are considered critical anthologies. From 2000 to 2020, he was the editor and publisher of the acclaimed Urdu literary journal Dunyazad.

Early life

Asif Aslam was born in Karachi in 1959 to Dr Aslam Farrukhi, a Professor of Urdu at Karachi University, and his wife Taj Begum. He was the elder of two sons. He was educated at St Patrick's High School and

D.J. Sindh Government Science College Dayaram Jethamal Sindh Government Science College, (Urdu: ڈی جے سندھ گورنمنٹ سائنس کالج) commonly known as DJ Science College, is a public community college that is affiliated with the Board of Intermediate Education Kara ...

, and then went on to complete his MBBS degree at the

Dow University of Health Sciences The Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) is a public medical university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It was established as Dow Medical College during the British Raj in 1945 and is named after British civil servant Sir Hugh Dow.It i ...

in 1984. He published his first book of short stories, using the name Asif Farrukhi, while still a student at Dow University in 1982. From 1988-1989, he completed a master's degree in public health at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Literary career

Asif Aslam is the author of six collections of short stories and two collections of critical essays in Urd

He was also a prolific translator, from Sindhi and English to Urdu as well as from Urdu and Sindhi to English. He compiled several English anthologies of writing from Pakistan. In 2000, he founded the bi-annual literary journal Dunyazad, intended to position new Urdu writing in conversation with global literature in translation. He also founded the Scheherazade Press in 1999 to showcase new writings in Urdu. From 2010 to 2018 Farrukhi was the co-founder and organizer of the

Karachi Literature Festival Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) is an annual international literary festival held in Karachi, Pakistan. It is the first festival of its kind in Pakistan. It is one of the world's youngest and fastest growing literary festivals. Till 2019, ten ...

, in collaboration with the Oxford University Press and the British Council. Following creative differences, in 2019, he co-founded the Adab Literature Festival as an alternative literary space.

Public Health Career

From 1985 to 1993, Farrukhi worked at the

Aga Khan University Aga Khan University is a private research university based in Karachi, Pakistan. It is a non-profit institution and an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network. It was founded in 1983 as Pakistan's first private university. Starting in 2000, t ...

's Community Health Services department under the supervision of the public health pioneer Prof. John H. Bryant. From 1994 to 2014, he was the Health and Nutrition Program Officer with

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

, Karachi. His international and cross-country travels in his professional capacity greatly informed his literary oeuvre. In 2014, he joined the then newly-founded

Habib University Habib University (HU) () is a university for Liberal arts education located in Karachi. Funded by the House of Habib, the Habib University Foundation was established in 2010, and was chartered in 2012 as an independent university. Based on a ...

as Associate Professor of Urdu and Director of the Arzu Center for Regional Languages & Humanities. In 2016, he briefly served as Interim Dean of the University's School of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences.

Awards

Tamgha-e-Imtiaz Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (), also spelled as Tamgha-i-Imtiaz, is a state-organised honour of Pakistan. It is given to any civilian in Pakistan based on their achievements. While it is a civilian/military award, it can be bestowed upon officers of the ...

(Medal of Excellence) 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 2006 * Prime Minister's Literary Award by the

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 ...

in 1997

Death

Farrukhi died suddenly from a

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 ...

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

on 1 June 2020. He had been a long-term diabetic.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farrukhi, Asif Pakistani scholars Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health alumni Pakistani public health doctors Pakistani translators Dow Medical College alumni St. Patrick's High School, Karachi alumni Writers from Karachi Recipients of Tamgha-e-Imtiaz 1959 births 2020 deaths United Nations officials Academic staff of Aga Khan University