Shafqat Tanvir Mirza – known by many as STM (6 February 1932 – 20 November 2012) 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 ...

and a

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

known for his activism for Punjabi culture and

language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...

. He was also a journalist union leader and was sent to jail twice because of his activities on behalf of newspapers he worked for.Shafqat Tanvir Mirza profile and Pride of Performance Award info on The Express Tribune newspaper
Published 21 Nov 2012, Retrieved 4 January 2024

Early life and education

Belonging to a Rajput family that took the Mirza nobility title during the times of emperor Akbar, his ancestors belonged to

Rajouri Rajouri or Rajauri (; ; ) is a city in the Rajouri district in the Jammu division of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir. It is located about from Srinagar and from Jammu (city), Jammu city on ...

(now in Jammu and Kashmir, India), but Mirza himself was born in February 1932 the village of Domeli, in the Jhelum District (now in

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

, Pakistan), where his father, a Range Officer in the Punjab Forest Department, was transferred. Mirza studied at schools in Chakwal,

Khushab Khushab (Punjabi language, punjabi: خُوشاب) is a city as well as a district of Sargodha Division, located in the Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab province of Pakistan. The word ''Khushab'' means "sweet water." Khushab city also serves as the headq ...

, Wazirabad, Attock, Bahawalnagar and at Gordon College,

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...

Career

Mirza's earlier career centred on Rawalpindi, where he worked for the daily newspapers ''Tameer'' and Hilal, as well as at Radio Pakistan. In 1970, he joined Daily Musawat, subsequently moving on to Daily Imroze, where he became the editor. In the 1990s, Shafqat Tanvir Mirza joined the English language newspaper

Dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the diffuse sky radiation, appearance of indirect sunlight being Rayleigh scattering, scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc ha ...

, where he contributed regular columns on Punjabi language and culture.

Activities as an author and translator

Shafqat Tanvir Mirza was also active as an author, writing and translating a number of books. He wrote 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 ...

, Punjabi and English. * ''Tehreek-i-Azadi Vich Punjab da Hissa'' (Punjabi) * ''Adab Raheen Punjab de Tareekh'' (Punjabi) * ''Resistance Themes in Punjabi Literature'' (English) * ''Making of a Nation'' (English) * '' Shah Hussain, a biography'' of 16th century

Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

(in Urdu language) * ''Lahu suhag'', a Punjabi translation of Blood Wedding by Garcia Lorca * ''Booha Koeena'', a Punjabi translation of No Exit by

Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary criticism, literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th ...

* ''Akhia Sachal Sarmast nay'', a translation of the Seraiki prose of Sachal Sarmast

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 by the President of Pakistan in 2006 Pakistani non-fiction writers 2012 deaths 1932 births Pakistani literary critics Punjabi-language writers Pakistani male journalists Pakistani newspaper editors Pakistani columnists Government Gordon College alumni Recipients of the Pride of Performance People from Punjab Province (British India) {{Pakistan-journalist-stub