Patras Bokhari
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Syed Ahmed Shah Bokhari (
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 ...
: ), commonly known as Patras Bokhari (October 25, 1898 – December 5, 1958), 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 ...
humorist, writer, broadcaster and diplomat who served as a
Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations The Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations () is Pakistan's diplomatic representative to the United Nations (UN). The permanent Representative (UN ambassador) is the head of Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the United Nations ...
. Born in
Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...
,
British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...
to a Kashmiri father, Shah studied at Edwardes Mission School in
Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...
and moved to
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 ...
where he studied English literature at the Government College. Shah moved to United Kingdom where he received his
Tripos TRIPOS (''TRIvial Portable Operating System'') is a computer operating system. Development started in 1976 at the Computer Laboratory of Cambridge University and it was headed by Dr. Martin Richards. The first version appeared in January 1978 a ...
from the Emmanuel College,
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
. He returned to Lahore where he taught English at Government College in 1927. He became a prominent part of the Muslim
intelligentsia The intelligentsia is a status class composed of the university-educated people of a society who engage in the complex mental labours by which they critique, shape, and lead in the politics, policies, and culture of their society; as such, the i ...
in South Asia. Shah moved to eventually become Director General of
All India Radio All India Radio (AIR), also known as Akashvani (), is India's state-owned public broadcasting, public radio broadcaster. Founded in 1936, it operates under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of Information and Broa ...
in Delhi and then Principal of Government College. He was appointed as the country's envoy to the UN in New York City from 1951 and 1954, followed by the
Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations An under-secretary-general of the United Nations (USG) is a senior official within the United Nations System, normally appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the secretary-general for a renewable term of four years. Under ...
for Information until 1958.


Life

Patras was born as Syed Ahmed Shah Bokhari on 1 October 1898 in
Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...
in the
North-West Frontier Province The North-West Frontier Province (NWFP; ) was a province of British India from 1901 to 1947, of the Dominion of Pakistan from 1947 to 1955, and of the Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Pakistan from 1970 to 2010. It was established on 9 November ...
of
British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...
to a
Kashmiri Muslim Kashmiri Muslims are ethnic Kashmiris who practice Islam and are native to the Kashmir Valley of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. Quote: "Jammu and Kashmir: Territory in northwestern India, subject to a dispute between India and Pakistan ...
father, who had migrated from
Baramulla Baramulla (), also known as Varmul () in Kashmiri, is a city and municipality of the Baramulla district of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various r ...
, northern
Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...
in the 19th century and a
Hindkowan Hindkowans, also known as the Hindki, is a contemporary designation for speakers of Indo-Aryan languages who live among the neighbouring Pashtuns, particularly the speakers of various Hindko dialects of Western Punjabi (Lahnda). The origins ...
mother. His Syed ancestors had migrated to Kashmir from Bukhara, Uzbekistan. Bokhari received his early education in the city of his birth and then studied at Islamia College, before moving in 1916, to attend Government College in
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 ...
. After completing his
Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...
degree in English, he was appointed as a lecturer at the same institution. In 1922, he took his MA in English after just one year's study and stood first, after which he was appointed lecturer. This was his creative period. His bilingual excellence is owed to his intensive translation of great books and plays from English into Urdu. He was tall and blue-eyed, had a razor-sharp mind, an equally sharp tongue, and a keenness to go forward in life. Patras' brother Zulfiqar Ali Bukhari was a noted broadcaster in Pakistan. Bokhari left his position at Government College, Lahore, before moving to
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
from India in 1925 to complete a
Tripos TRIPOS (''TRIvial Portable Operating System'') is a computer operating system. Development started in 1976 at the Computer Laboratory of Cambridge University and it was headed by Dr. Martin Richards. The first version appeared in January 1978 a ...
in English at
Emmanuel College, Cambridge Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay, Chancellor of the Exchequer to Elizabeth I. The site on which the college sits was once a priory for Dominican mo ...
. Many years later, the Bokhari English Prize was established there in his honor. In 1927, he returned to Government College, Lahore, and as a professor remained there until 1939. Before the independence of
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
in 1947, he was the director general of
All India Radio All India Radio (AIR), also known as Akashvani (), is India's state-owned public broadcasting, public radio broadcaster. Founded in 1936, it operates under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of Information and Broa ...
. Being a professor of
English Literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...
, he also served as the principal of Government College, Lahore from 1947 to 1950. The
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 ...
poets
Faiz Ahmed Faiz Chaudhry Faiz Ahmad Faiz (13 February 1911 – 20 November 1984) was a Pakistani poet and author of Punjabi and Urdu literature. Faiz was one of the most celebrated, popular, and influential Urdu writers of his time, and his works and ideas r ...
, Noon Meem Rashid and Kanhaiyalal Kapoor were among his students. He was a member of Prime Minister
Liaquat Ali Khan Liaquat Ali Khan (1 October 189516 October 1951) was a Pakistani lawyer, politician and statesman who served as the first prime minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan (, Roman Urdu, romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the he ...
's delegation during his visit to the United States in 1950. He drafted the prime minister's speeches and public pronouncements. These have been published in a volume entitled Heart of Asia. It was his close association with Liaquat Ali Khan, which culminated in his posting as Pakistan's permanent representative at the United Nations (1951-1954). From 1954 to 1958 he served as the Undersecretary of the UN, Head of Information. In New York, Bokhari lived in a small house on a small street along the East River. He used four languages at home: the local dialect, Persian, Urdu and Pashto.


Background to Pen Name ''Patras''

Ahmed Shah Bokhari first started using a pen name ''Peter'', in respect of his teacher ''Peter Watkins'', when he wrote in English. In his Urdu writings he used the pen name ''Patras''. According to Khaled Ahmed, ''The House of Patras'' which appeared in The Friday Times, Lahore, on May 13, 1999, Patras is a Persian adaptation of an Arabic rendering of 'Peter'. An extract from Z.A. Bokhari's autobiography about the orientation of ASB's pen name is: "My brother's full name was Pir Syed Ahmed Shah Bokhari. Our headmaster (in Peshawar) Mr. Watkins addressed him by his first name ‘Pir’ but pronounced it as ‘Pierre’ as if it was a French word. Pierre in French stands for Peter, which is Patras in Greek.... As a result of this similarity, my brother took up ‘Patras’ as his pen name".


Contributions

His collection of essays, '' Patras Kay Mazameen (پطرس کے مضامین)'' published in 1927 is said to be an asset in Urdu humor writings. It is undoubtedly one of the finest works in Urdu humor and despite the fact that it was written in first half of twentieth century, it seems to be truly applicable even today. He lived in times of personalities like
Allama Iqbal Muhammad Iqbal (9 November 187721 April 1938) was a South Asian Islamic philosopher, poet and politician. Quote: "In Persian, ... he published six volumes of mainly long poems between 1915 and 1936, ... more or less complete works on philoso ...
and had interacted with him on several occasions and engaged him in philosophical debates. One of his debates with Iqbal led to creation of one of his poems in his book ''Zarb-e-Kaleem''. Ahmed Shah Bokhari was well read in Greek philosophy. He wrote an article ''Ancient Greek Rulers and Their Thinking'' which was published in March 1919 in the ''Kehkashan'' Lahore. He was only 21 at the time. His work at the UN was truly amazing during many years of his service to this body, which was in infancy while Patras worked there. One of his major contributions was fighting the case of UNICEF during meetings which were convened to discuss its closure because apparently it had fulfilled its designated task. Patras argued successfully that UNICEF's need in developing countries is much greater than its role in European countries after second world war. His arguments persuaded even Eleanor Roosevelt to change the stance of her country, United States. His contributions to the UN as a leading diplomat were summed up by Ralph J. Bunche (UN Secretary General and Nobel Peace Laureate) in these words: "Ahmed Bokhari was, in fact, a leader and a philosopher, a savant, indeed, even though not old in years, a sort of elder statesman. His true field of influence was the entire complex of the United Nations family.... He was acutely conscious of the aspirations of people throughout the world for peace, for better standards of life, for freedom and dignity, but no one was more soundly aware than he of the difficulties and obstacles to be overcome in bringing about a broad advance of humankind along these avenues." Bokhari's great work was done at the UN. He said that apart from being as great an internationalist as
Dag Hammarskjöld Dag Hjalmar Agne Carl Hammarskjöld (English: ,; 29 July 1905 – 18 September 1961) was a Swedish economist and diplomat who served as the second secretary-general of the United Nations from April 1953 until his death in a plane crash in Septe ...
, he was the first advocate of liberation movements in colonized countries across Africa and the Middle East. That credit has been denied him by his countrymen, as they have denied it to Sir Zafralla Khan, though for different reasons.


Death and legacy

In 1923, he married Zubaida Wanchoo, a Punjabi-speaking Kashmiri lady, and daughter of a superintendent of police. They had three children – two sons Mansoor and Haroon, and a daughter Roshan Ara. Roshan Ara died as a child. Patras Bokhari died on December 5, 1958, still serving as a diplomat and is buried in Valhalla Cemetery, New York. A major Pakistani English language newspaper comments about him, "In addition he inspired great devotion and love in his friends, companions and students."


Awards and recognition

*He was appointed a Companion of the
Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander (:Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire, ...
(CIE) in the 1944 Birthday Honours list. * In October 1998, to mark his birth centenary, the
Pakistan Post Pakistan Post () is a state enterprise which functions as Pakistan's primary and largest postal operator. 49,502 employees through a vehicle fleet of 5,000 operate traditional "to the door" service from more than 13,419 post offices across the ...
Office issued a commemorative postage stamp in his honor under the series, "Pioneers of Pakistan". * On 14 August 2003
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.
,
General Pervez Musharraf Pervez Musharraf (11 August 1943 – 5 February 2023) was a Pakistani general and politician who served as the tenth president of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008. Prior to his career in politics, he was a four-star general and :Pakistan Army ...
, announced the conferment of
Hilal-e-Imtiaz The ''Hilal-e-Imtiaz'' (; ), also spelled as ''Hilal-i-Imtiaz,'' is the second-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") Awards and decorations of the Pakistan military, civilian award and honour given to both civilians and military Officer (armed fo ...
, the country's second highest civilian award, posthumously on Bokhari. This award was formally conferred on 23 March 2004.Profile of Ahmad Shah Patras Bokhari
amazingpakistanis.com website. Retrieved 28 November 2018
*Dr. Anwar Dil, a well known Pakistan writer based in the US published a book on Patras Bokhari in 1998 called "On This Earth Together" in 1998, after 20 years of painstaking research in the US and Pakistan.


Named after him

*The Government of
Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...
, named a road after him in
Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...
, in recognition for his contribution towards the freedom of Tunisia from French Colonial Rule in 1956. There is also a road named after him in
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. *Government College, Lahore named their auditorium "Bokhari Auditorium" to honour him.


References


External links


Official website
of Patras Bokhari

The News International (newspaper), Archived 6 April 2004

Archived Timeline of UN Diplomats from Pakistan {{DEFAULTSORT:Bokhari, Patras 1898 births 1958 deaths Permanent representatives of Pakistan to the United Nations Pakistani educators Pakistani humorists Pakistani essayists Pakistani scholars Government College University, Lahore alumni Recipients of Hilal-i-Imtiaz Urdu-language humorists Pakistani broadcasters Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Pakistani people of Kashmiri descent Hindkowan people Kashmiri writers People from Peshawar Academic staff of the Government College University, Lahore 20th-century essayists