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Masood Ashar

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Masood Ashar
مسعود اشعر
Born10 February 1931 (1931-02-10)
Rampur, Rampur State, British India
Died5 July 2021 (2021-07-06) (aged 90)
Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
NationalityPakistani
Occupation(s)Short story writer, novelist, translator, journalist and columnist
Awards2010 – Pride of Performance Award by the President of Pakistan
2015 – Sitara-i-Imtiaz Award by the Government of Pakistan

Masood Ahmad Khan (Urdu: مسعود اشعر‎; Masʻūd Ashʻar; 10 February 1931[1][2][3] – 5 July 2021), better known as Masood Ashar, was a Pakistani Urdu short story writer, novelist, journalist, columnist and translator. On 23 March 2010,[4] he was awarded the Pride of Performance by the President of Pakistan. In 2015, he received Sitara-i-Imtiaz award, third-highest civilian award of Pakistan.

Early life

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Masood Ashar was born on 10 February 1931, in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, India.[3][1] Ashar completed his early education from the Madrasa-i-Aliya in Rampur. He did his matriculation from Allahabad board in 1948 and did his graduation from Agra.[3]

Career

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In 1951, Ashar migrated to Pakistan after completing his graduation and lived in Lahore and Multan where he worked for Zamindar, Daily Imroze, Roznama Ahsan and weekly Aasaar.[5][1][2] In 1954, when he joined Urdu Daily Imroze as senior sub-editor then during that period Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi was the editor of Imroz. In 1958, Masood Ashar became the resident editor of Imroz, Multan.[3]

In 1978, during Gen Zia’s dictatorial regime, when massacre at Multan Colony Textile Mills happened then Masood Ashar printed the news of the accident in Daily Imroze. As a punishment, he was transferred from Multan to Lahore. In 1983, he was sacked from his job when he signed a demand for revival of democracy in the country.[3] In 1988, during the government of Benazir Bhutto, he was reinstated to his post and he retired from the newspaper, Daily Imroze as its editor. In 1992, he was associated with a publishing house called Mashal.[3] He frequently visited literary gatherings of the Pak Tea House.[3]

Works

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Masood Ashar had written several poems and short stories. In 1948, his first short story was published in Fasana, a journal from Allahabad.[3] In 1964, after a long gap, he returned to writing short stories and his story was published in Savera. He wrote short stories, Ankhon Par Dono Hath in 1974, Saray Afsanay in 1987, Apna Ghar in 2004, Sawal Kahani in 2019.[3] The Oxford University Press published Intikhab: Masood Ashar, a selection of Masood Ashar short stories which was edited by Asif Farrukhi.[6][3]

As writer

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  • Pakistani Adab-1993[7]
  • Bismillah Ka Gumbad[8]

As translator

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  • Zindagi Se Najat[9]

Death

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Masood Ashar died in Lahore on 5 July 2021. He was buried in Lahore.[1] Thousands of people attended the funeral prayers of Masood Ashar including Atta-ul-Haq Qasmi and Asghar Nadeem Syed.[10] He is survived by two sons and two daughters.[3]

Pakistani Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry,[11] Pakistan Academy of Letters chairman, Yousuf Khushk[12] and Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Bazdar expressed deep sorrow and grief.[13][14] Working body of Arts Council of Pakistan also expressed deep sorrow and grief over the sad demise of Masood Ashar.[1]

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "ممتاز افسانہ نگار اور صحافی مسعود اشعر سپرد خاک (Prominent novelist and journalist Masood Asher buried)". City 42 (in Urdu). 6 July 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Eminent Journalist, Short Story Writer Masood Ashar Dies Aged 90". Naya Daur. 19 July 2023. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Journalist, fiction writer Masood Ashar passes away in Lahore". Dawn (newspaper). 6 July 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  4. ^ a b List of civil awards winners (civil awards in Pakistan are announced on 14 August each year and then ACTUALLY CONFERRED on Pakistan Day (23 March) the next year) Dawn (newspaper), Published 16 August 2009, Retrieved 19 July 2023
  5. ^ a b "صدارتی تمغہ برائے حسن کارکردگی۔ مسعود اشعر (Pride of Performance- Masood Ashar)". Tareekh e Pakistan website.
  6. ^ "Intikhab: Masood Ashar". Oxford University Press. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  7. ^ "pakistani adab-1993". Rekhta. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  8. ^ "(Masood Ashar-fiction) مسعود اشعر - افسانہ". Rekhta. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Zindagi Se Najat by Yonge Hakim". Rekhta. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  10. ^ "معروف افسانہ نگار اور صحافی مسعود اشعر سپرد خاک". Daily Jang. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  11. ^ News Desk (7 July 2021). "Fawad grieved over Masood Ashar's demise". Pakistan Observer. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  12. ^ a b c "PAL chairman condoles demise of eminent writer". The News International. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  13. ^ "Public service core agenda of PTI govt: CM Says one could dare stop journey of development, transparency". Pakistan Observer.
  14. ^ "Chief Minister Condoles Death Of Columnists Masood Ashar". UrduPoint.
  15. ^ "ممتاز فکشن نگار اور صحافی مسعود اشعر لاہور میں انتقال کرگئے". Daily Express.
  16. ^ "صحافی و کالم نگار مسعود اشعر انتقال کرگئے". Daily Jang. 5 July 2021.
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