Dr. Sher Zaman Taizi Khurshid Iqbal Khattak12 6 August, 2004 1Publishers: ' Q àAJ»AK , è@ñm ñJ. .J.k ,PA.ñK ,ú æ.K , é³Qk. ú G.X@ ñJ. ÉÓA¿ 2Distributor: , with credits Dr. Yasin Iqbal Yusufzai Pñ. .K ,P@PAK. ú G@ñk é J¯ ,àñJK.AJ» @X Khyber.ORG Q.J.k Khurshid Iqbal Khattak is the son of Abdul Qudus (advocate High Court, Peshawar). Born in April 1968, at Jalozai, District Nowshera, Khurshid Iqbal went on to do his MA in Political Science, LL.B and LL.M in England. His works include ú¾ ð@ ùOA¿ X; a collection . of short stories published in 1998, ; a play, Q ; a critique on Dr. éKñËQÓ éKñKA. éKñËðAK ù K .KAKX Sher Zaman’s works, èVA« VXñ³ X; his poetry collection, Pakhto literary essays, book on international relations, various essays on Islamic law, and Dr. Sher Zaman Taizai’s biography. 2 Contents 1 Prologue 5 2 Life Sketch 9 3 Incidents and accidents 15 4 Literary activities 17 5 Novels 19 6 Poetry 29 7 Drama 33 8 Short Stories 35 9 Criticism 37 10 The Frontier Post 39 11 Translation 41 12 Afghanistan 43 3 CONTENTS Khyber.ORG Q.J.k 4 Chapter 1 Prologue It was the best of times at the age of fourteen when the hidden poet in me opened his eyes. Having kept him in the cave of secrecy for about one year, my elder brother detected him and he, being a highly frank and open minded man by nature, drew out that poet in the courtyard of our house. I apprehended snubbing from my father. But he became very happy and took me to the office of the Kamil Pakhto Adabi Jirga, situated at Ghazi Market, Pabbi. Fortunately, a mushaira was in progress at that time. Dr. Sher Zaman Taizi, Qamar Zaman Qamar Taizi, Late Farehan Shaida Baba, Sheeirn Khan Sharbat, Husnul Maab Kakakhel (may their souls rest in peace) and other local poets were present there. I read my Ghazal and won applause. Later on, I realized my appreciation was for the sake of encouragement only. My father who use to call Lala "elder brother" to Dr. Sher Zaman Taizi told him, "from today I devote my this son to Pakhto". The sitting poets greatly appreciated the remarks of my father. Since those epoch-making moments till this day Dr. Sher Zaman Taizi became my Kakajee and tutor; and I have been obeying that parental order much above my personal creative zeal, to irrigate the sinuous rills of Pakhto literature. During the last more than fifteen years, I have learnt so much from the alma mater of my this ingenuous uncle teacher that this one is my second published book, besides six unpublished. Dr. Taizi was known to me even prior but in a highly mysterious way since my school days as a student of Eighth class, I had read the first few chapters of his novel "Amanat" but couldn’t inch forward due to fearsome scenes portrayed therein. After having admitted to his tutorship, the fear of reading Amanat ran away from my heart but the mysteries of his personality got entangled and entangled as the time passed. Despite the fact that I remained in close proximity with him, I have found it often difficult and some times impossible to excavate something out of his personal life as well as his intellectual beliefs and school of thought from his mute personality. If you ask me why ? I would say, he is every inch an intelligence Officer ; he never wears his heart on his sleeves ! When the Pakistan Study Centre, University of Peshawar, send a letter to me to write a profile of Dr. Taizi, I found it difficult but keeping in view his longstanding relations of being my teacher and uncle, I accepted the challenge with interest and devotion. My difficulties could be realized from the fact that only two reviews and two references on his famous novel Gul Khan in research works and one each on other four novels, were available to me while about his short stories, plays, translations, research on Afghanistan and criticism plus his personal life sketch, there was virtually nothing to be embanked upon. 5 Khyber.ORG Q.J.k Pakhtun intellectual has yet to give up mere verse-making and the literary tradition of Research and Criticism is still a dream in the current Pakhto literature. But in the negligible work that has been done so far, Dr Taizi has been ignored for the reasons best known to the scholars. So the need of literary evaluation of his works was felt by me. In 1993, I carried out an exhaustive review of Amanat, the second novel of Dr. Taizi, which was published in two parts by monthly Pukhto magazine Khkula, Peshawar. Soon after that I wrote a short commentary on Gul Khan, his master piece novel. When his last novel ñ ð@ èX@ð "Wade Onesho" appeared in 1998, I critically reviewed it in detail in daily the Frontier Post, Peshawar. In this way, I developed interest to go ahead with the literary and critical appreciation of his works, particularly his novels. So in 1998, I switched on my work on : èQ KA g øYJ®J K ñËðAK X øQ KA KX "Da Taizi da Navaloono Tanqidi Jaiza" in Pakhto and completed it in Jnuary,1999.. Thus my own works provided me with a scaffold to write a profile of Dr. Taizi for Pakistan Studies Centre, University of Peshawar. Finally, when it was decided to convert it into a book shape, I had to expand upon some aspects of works and particularly his personal life. While I was trotting in the bulk of his personal files, I was astonished to see that my uncle teacher has kept almost complete record of his personal and academic life. However, I had to ignore some information for certain reasons. It was also deemed pertinent to interview some of the nearest and dearest friends of Dr. Taizi. I met Qamar Zaman Qamar Taizi, elder brother of Dr. Taizi, a Pakhto poet, Haji Ghazi Khan and Azizullah Khan , both elders of Taizi tribe in Pabbi. I am highly indebted to them. S. Fida Younas, former Charge de Affairs of Pakistan to Afghanistan, has a friendship cum brotherhood with Dr. Taizi for more than thirty years. They have jointly served in the Pak Embassy at Kabul. He was kind enough to provide me with some valuable information. My literary colleagues, Zahid-ur-Rehaman Saifi, Shafiq Ahmad Khattak and brothers, Javed Iqbal Khattak, Assistant Election Commissioner, Swat, and Jamshed Iqbal Khattak, M.A English, all jointly constituted an umbrella of help for me to pen the work. I am grateful to all of them. Prominent Pakhto writer, Dr. S. Chiragh Hussein Shah, the then DHO, who was my neighbour at Karak, not only took keen interest in my work by exchanging views with me regarding the art and life of Dr. Taizi but also encouraged me brotherly by galvanizing my spirit all the time. During the initial typing of the script, my youngest brother, Navid Danish, a student of 9th class, worked with me like my right hand while my wife, too, shared the responsibility of typing. My heartiest gratitude must go to Mr. Hazrat Rehman Advocate( High Court), of Timergarah, Dir who bestowed upon me his personal computer, without which the typing work would have been impossible. I am also greatly thankful to Dr. Fazal Rahim Marwat, who proposed my name to the Pakistan Study Centre, University of Peshawar, for writing a profile of Dr. Taizi, which ultimately sprang up into book form. Finally, I must pay salute to my dear father who guided and supervised me. Oct,8,2000 KHURSHID IQBAL KHATTAK, KARAK To my Lala 6 CHAPTER 1. PROLOGUE Khyber.ORG Q.J.k In early 60s I shifted from my village Jalozai to Pabbi and rented a house in the neighbour- hood of Sher Zaman and Qamar Zaman; both the brothers were living together. From the very beginning, they extended to me their hands of brotherhood. Not only I myself but even my parents felt that we were not among strangers. The leading of prayers by my father Maulana Abdur Rashid at Makki Masjid, also became the source of our respect among the people. Although I developed contacts with many notables of Pabbi but my relations with the Taizi brothers always remained specially cordial, intimate and lasting. I and Sher Zaman Lala did our graduation the same year. Then on his advice, I did Pakhto Honours, for which he provided me due guidance. During his service career, Sher Zaman Taizi remained away from his village even then he not only send letters to me but endowed upon me gifts and presents from Chitral, Kabul, etc. He has really proved to be my Lala by working as the superb guide of my three elder sons Javed, Khurshid and Jamshed. When Khurshid joined Dr. SHER ZAMAN TAIZI, it became my dream that he should write his biography. It is a matter of great honour for me that my dream stood realized. Being his tutor, it is indeed the success of Dr. Sher Zaman Taizi. I pray for long life of Lala and more distinguished success of my sons in life. Like Dr. Allama M. Iqbal, I would like advise my posterity to earn name in poverty. Jalozai. Oct, 8,2000 (ABDUL QUDUS) M.A; LLB; ADVOCATE, HIGH COURT, PESHAWAR. Creation is an inherent want and quality vouchsafed by nation on the mankind that takes start from sexual urge amidst numerous emotions and thinks.