Professor Afzal Tauseef | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Native name |
|
| Born | (1936-05-18)May 18, 1936 Simbli,Hoshiarpur, East Punjab |
| Died | December 30, 2014(2014-12-30) (aged 78) Lahore, Pakistan |
| Resting place | Karim Block cemetery,Iqbal Town, Lahore |
| Occupation | Writer, Columnist |
| Language | Punjabi,Urdu |
| Citizenship | Pakistani |
| Education | English studies MA |
| Alma mater | Oriental College,Lahore Government College University |
| Period | Ayub Khan regimeOperation Fair Play |
| Subject | Politics,social,language arts |
| Years active | 19xx–2014 |
| Notable awards | Pride of Performance (2010) |
Afzal Tauseef (May 18, 1936 – December 30, 2014[1]), also spelledAfzal Tausif, was a PakistaniPunjabi language writer, columnist and journalist.[2][3][4]
She criticizedmilitary dictatorship in Pakistan and was detained, later displaced several times by the military dictators of that time, such asAyub Khan andMuhammad Zia-ul-Haq. Afzal has authored more than thirty books in Punjabi andUrdu. In 2010, she was awarded thePride of Performance by theGovernment of Pakistan in recognition of her literary contributions. She was also associated with thePakistan Peoples Party and served as vice president of Punjabi Adabi Board (PAB) for five years. Afzal also wrote a book titledDekhi Teri Duniya (lit. 'Seen your world').[1][5]
Afzal was born on May 18, 1936, inEast Punjab at Simbli village ofHoshiarpur,British India. She was the only surviving child of her parents during thePartition of India, and then shemigrated to Pakistan along with her father who was then posted as a police officer after the country was declared asovereign state. Afzal initially stayed inBalochistan. She did her initial schooling, includingmatriculation from a government girls school atQuetta, and later moved toPunjab where she attendedOriental College but left midway. Afzal then attendedGovernment College University, Lahore and did a master's degree in English. After completing higher education, she was then appointed as a teacher at theUniversity of Home Economics (formerly a college). Later, she taught English atCollege of Education until her retirement.[1][5]
Afzal wrote books and editorialcolumns. She wrote for newspapers and published thirty books on themes such as politics,social issues, and art and languages.[6]
Her books include:
Some of her books were later transliterated intoGurmukhi and published in India. She wrote a book on the fall of Bangladesh andBaloch cause, leading her to facemilitary trials and detentions.[5]My Beloved Trees, My Children was among the books she wrote about partition.[7] Afzal's main subject wasprogressive writing.[8]
During her lifetime, Afzal Tauseef received numerous awards for her literary works:
She died inLahore on December 30, 2014, a day after being admitted to Alshafi Hospital. She is buried in Karim block cemetery inIqbal Town. Her funeral was attended by Punjabi Adabi Board members and representatives of thePakistan Academy of Letters including writersKanwal Feroze, Parveen Malik, Baba Najmi and journalists.[1]
A fellow Indian progressive writer,Amrita Pritam had compiled a book about her in Hindi entitledDoosre Aadam Ki Beti and also called her "Suchi Dhee Punjab Di" (True daughter of the Punjab).[5]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| Other | |
