PESHAWAR: Prof Fakhrul Islam, a retired varsity teacher, has done his master’s in Pashto literature as private candidate, getting first position.

Mr Islam, a noted poet, research scholar and former director Pakistan Study Centre, University of Peshawar, retired in February 2023.

Prof Islam, who is a resident of Malakand, told Dawn that had already brought out a poetry collection titled ‘Da Meeny La Hewada’, a collection of prose and several research papers in Pashto, but still doing master’s in Pashto literature had been his dream.

“Doing master’s in Pashto literature was not a big deal, but it was a gesture of why we should love this rich language. When I was appointed as director Pakistan Study Centre at UoP in 2011, I changed altogether the pattern and trend towards research on local literature as I encouraged students to conduct research on various aspects of Pashto and Pashto literati,” he added.

Prof Islam got his master’s in Pakistan Studies and Political Science from Peshawar and Punjab universities, respectively.

He also has got a postgraduate diploma in international human rights law. In 1997, he received his PhD degree from the Area Study Centre for Russia, China and Central Asia.

The research scholar claimed the shelves of Pakistan Study Centre carried countless research theses and treatises on a wide range of topics in Pashto language and literature completed under his supervision.

“I had attained mastery over Pashto writing and reading in my early student life. I always compose my own poetry, prose and research articles in Pashto on computer and advise my students to do so as it would enhance their Pashto language communication skills,” he said.

Prof Islam enjoys a good reputation among Pashto literary circles and has been teaching as a visiting professor in different universities delivering lecturers on research and capacity building.

He has 10 books and over 70 research papers to his credit and represented Pakistan in several countries. Presently, he is serving at the Institute of Public Studies, Islamabad, as adviser research and academic outreach.

Talking about future plans, he said he would contribute more to Pashto by conducting research on scientific lines.

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2024