Famous writer Mumtaz Mufti was remembered on Monday on the occasion of his birth anniversary.
Mumtaz Mufti was born in Batala, September 11, 1905 in east Punjab. He was employed as a civil servant under British rule and had earlier started his career as a school teacher. Soon after partition in 1947, he migrated to Pakistan with his family.
Mumtaz Mufti started writing Urdu short stories while working as a school teacher before 1947. In the beginning of his literary career, he was considered, by other literary critics, a non-conformist writer having liberal views, who appeared influenced by the psychologist Freud.
The two phases of his life are witnessed by his autobiographies, Alipur Ka Aeeli (1961) and Alakh Nagri. According to forewords mentioned in his later autobiography, Alipur Ka Aeeli is an account of a lover who challenged the social taboos of his times, and Alakh Nagri is an account of a devotee who is greatly influenced by the mysticism.
The book Talaash (Quest) was the last book written by Mumtaz Mufti. It highlights the true spirit of Quranic teachings. Mumtaz Mufti was awarded with Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence) Award by the president of Pakistan in 1986 and Munshi Premchand Award (a literary award from India) in 1989.
Besides Alipur Ka Aeeli and Alakh Nagri his literary works include Doctor ka Istemaal, Ram Din, Unkahi, Chup Guria Ghar, Ismaraeen, Kahi Na Jai, Labbaik, a report on his Hajj pilgrimage, Muftianey, Nizam-e-Sakaa, Roughani Putlay, Samay Ka Bandhan, Hind Yaatra, Piyaaz Ke Chhilkay, Okhay Awallay, Aur Okhay Log and Talash. He died on October 27, 1995.