Qudrat Ullah Shahab

Qudrat Ullah Shahab (or Qudratullah Shahab, ; 26 February 191724 July 1986) was an eminent Urdu writer, civil servant and diplomat from Pakistan.

Shahab holds the distinction of having served as the Principal Secretary to three heads of state; Governor General Ghulam Muhammad, President Iskander Mirza, and President Ayub Khan. He went on to serve as the Ambassador of Pakistan to the Netherlands in 1962 and later as Information Secretary of Pakistan and Education Secretary of Pakistan.

Early life and education Shahab was born in Gilgit on 26 February 1917.

Shahab first rose to prominence when, at 16, an essay he penned was selected for the first prize in an international competition organized by the Reader's Digest, London, and, in 1941, for being the first Muslim from Jammu and Kashmir qualifying for the Indian Civil Service.

During the Bengal famine of 1943, he volunteered to help the local community while he was serving as magistrate at Nandigram, but was criticized by the authorities because he shared the strategic food reserves with the starving locals.

Career

Civil services Shahab moved to Karachi, Pakistan, following the 1947 partition and took charge as Under-Secretary (Import and Export), Ministry of Trade, of the newly-formed independent state. He also served as the first Secretary General (later the position was renamed as Chief Secretary) of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir government. He was deputy commissioner of Jhang as well. He served as Secretary to three heads of state. Later, he served as Ambassador of Pakistan to Netherlands and Education Secretary Of Pakistan before resigning from the services during the Yahya Khan period. He was behind many government schemes launched for the benefit of writers and intellectuals.

Literature Shahab himself published in English and Urdu languages for contemporary newspapers and magazines of Pakistan Writers' Guild, founded at Karachi in January 1959.

He is best known for his autobiography Shahab Nama.

Spirituality The real disclosure came in the final chapter of Shahab Nama that alluded to an out-of-world personality whom he used to call Ninety as his spiritual guide. After Shahab Nama published, which was actually after Shahab's death, Mumtaz Mufti wrote his autobiography, Alakh Nagri, and openly discussed the hidden traits of Shahab's life. Mufti wrote in the foreword of the book:

Death and legacy

Shahab died on 24 July 1986 in Islamabad and is buried in H-8 Graveyard, Islamabad, Pakistan.

Books Shahab Nama – autobiography (1986) Ya Khuda,یا خُدا – novel Mān̲ Jī, ماں جی – short stories Surk̲h̲ Fītāh, سُرخ فِیتہ – short stories Nafsāne, نفسانے – short stories Shahāb Nagar, شہاب نگر – literary miscellany Pathans – an essay about Pashtuns