Ashfaq Ahmad

Ashfaq Ahmed (; 22 August 1925 – 7 September 2004) was a Pakistani writer, playwright and broadcaster. His works in Urdu included novels, short stories and plays for Pakistan Television and Radio Pakistan. He is the recipient of Presidential Pride of Performance and Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence) awards for his everlasting services in the field of broadcasting and literary heritage of Pakistan.

Early life and education Ashfaq Ahmed was born on 22 August 1925 in Muktsar, Punjab, British India, in an ethnic Pashtun family of the Mohmand tribe. His early education was in Muktsar.

He completed a Master of Arts degree in Urdu literature from Government College Lahore. His wife, Bano Qudsia, was also a student there. Subsequently, he served as a lecturer at Dayal Singh College in Lahore for two years. He later moved to Rome, where he worked as an Urdu newscaster for Radio Rome and taught Urdu at the University of Rome. During his time in Europe, he earned diplomas in Italian and French from the University of Rome and the University of Grenoble, respectively. He also obtained a specialized diploma in radio broadcasting from New York University.

Career Literature As a boy he wrote stories, which were published in Phool (Flower), a magazine for children. After returning to Pakistan from Europe, he took out his own monthly literary magazine, Dastaango (Story Teller), and joined Radio Pakistan as a script writer. He was made editor of the popular Urdu weekly, Lail-o-Nahar (Day and Night), in place of famous poet Sufi Ghulam Mustafa Tabassum by the Government of Pakistan.

Ahmed wrote over thirty books. His short story (afsana), Gaddarya (The Shepherd) earned him early fame in 1955.

From his own resources, he created the Central Board for the Development of Urdu in Lahore.

Radio In 1962, Ashfaq Ahmed started his radio program, Talqeen Shah (The Preacher) which made him popular among the people in towns and villages. He remained with the board until 1979. He also served as an adviser in the Education Ministry during Zia-ul-Haq's regime.

Cinema In 1968, he wrote and directed the Urdu movie Dhoop Aur Sayay (Sun and Shades), which was also the only Urdu production of Hakim Ali Zardari. It was a failure at the box-office, but Ahmed argued that it was because its content was ahead of its time and anticipated the Parallel cinema movement in India. / Aur Dramay / Zavia Sitara-i-Imtiaz Award by the President of Pakistan