Salma Shaheen (born 16 April 1954) is a Pakistani poet,

fiction 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 stori ...

, and researcher. She is recognized as the first woman novelist in the

Pashto language Pashto ( , ; , ) is an eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family, natively spoken in northwestern Pakistan and southern and eastern Afghanistan. It has official status in Afghanistan and the Pakistani province of Khyb ...

and served as the first female director of the

Pashto Academy Pashto Academy () is a language regulatory institution based at the University of Peshawar in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan responsible for the standardisation, advancement, and promotion of the Pashto language in Pakistan. It was establi ...

at the

University of Peshawar The University of Peshawar (; ; ; abbreviated UoP; known more popularly as Peshawar University) is a public research university located in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The university is one of the oldest universities in the provi ...

. Shaheen began her literary career primarily writing poems in

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 ...

and Pashto. She has written on Pashto language,

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

, and

culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

, particularly focusing on women writers in

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...

Early life

Salma was born on 16 April 1954 in Baghdada town in Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. She did her secondary schooling from a government school in 1971, and later attended the

Women University Mardan Women University Mardan is a public university situated in Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The university is run by the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and was founded in 2016. Overview and history Women University Mardan was establish ...

(formerly Government College for Women, Mardan) in 2002 and completed further education, including graduation, and

doctor's degree A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''Licentiate (degree), licentia docendi' ...

with Modern Pashto poem.

Career

Shaheen was initially involved in writings and started her career during

childhood A child () is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking ...

. It is believed she originally began writing when she was studying in eighth standard. Her father played a significant role in her career and encouraged her to earn

moral authority Moral authority is authority premised on principles, or fundamental truths, which are independent of written, or positive laws. As such, moral authority necessitates the existence of and adherence to truth. Because truth does not change the princip ...

for Pakhto women. As a

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

of Pashto Academy, she restored language regulatory institution in 2011 which was previously merged into a not-known institution called Centre for Pashto language and literature. She is also credited for bringing out 120 Pakhtunwali books on

hujra A mehmaan khana (Hindustani language, Hindustani مہمان خانہ, मेहमान ख़ाना, ) is a drawing room where guests are entertained in many houses in North India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Alternative names include hujra and ...

, music, dance and

jirga A jirga (, ''jərga'') is an assembly of leaders that makes decisions by consensus according to Pashtunwali, the Pashtun social code. It is conducted in order to settle disputes among the Pashtuns, but also by members of other ethnic groups who ...

Literary work

As a poet, Shaheen wrote fourteen to eighteen books in Urdu and Pashto languages, and as a researcher, she wrote

folk song Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

s or a research book on folk music titled "Pashto Tapa", short stories, including "Kanri Auo Aghzi" which translates as ''stones and thorns''. Her poetic books include "Za Hum Haghse Wara Way" and "Nawey Sahar" which was originally published in 1982. As a researcher, she has published 42 publications on various topics, including social, culture, tradition and

language barrier A language barrier is a figurative phrase used primarily to refer to linguistic barriers to communication, i.e. the difficulties in communication experienced by people or groups originally speaking different languages (or different dialects in ...

s. Her poetry is focused on

Pashto culture Pashtun culture () is based on Pashtunwali, as well as speaking of the Pashto language and wearing Pashtun dress. Pashtunwali and Islam are the two main factors which make the baseline for the social behavior in Pashtun society. Pashtuns are tr ...

, and traditions. She is credited for writing two novels titled "Ka Rana Shawa" and "Kani Au Azghi". She also wrote poems which are recognized one of prominent books which includes "Abasin Da Tarikh", "Muasharati Au Saqafati Asar" and "Awami Sandare". As a writer, she represented Pakistan in numerous countries at literary events such as

seminar A seminar is a form of academic instruction, either at an academic institution or offered by a commercial or professional organization. It has the function of bringing together small groups for recurring meetings, focusing each time on some part ...

s and

conference A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...

s and was nominated member of a cultural delegation to China. During her visit to China, she wrote a book titled "Dil Aur Ankhein Cheen Main". Publication Research Paper written by Dr Salma Shaheen are following: Research Papers

Awards

Shaheen is the receipt of numerous awards for her contribution to Pashto literature, social, culture and tradition. Her awards include Abasin Art Council Award, Pakistan Culture Association Award, Pakistan Academy of Letters Hijra and

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 ...

which was conferred by 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 2009.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaheen, Salma Living people 1954 births People from Mardan District Women University Mardan alumni Pashto-language poets Urdu-language poets from Pakistan 20th-century Pakistani poets 20th-century Pakistani women writers Pakistani women short story writers Pakistani short story writers Pakistani women novelists Pakistani novelists Recipients of Tamgha-e-Imtiaz