LAHORE: Former federal secretary, historian and columnist Dr Safdar Mahmood was laid to rest in the provincial capital on Monday.

He passed away after remaining hospitalised for several days.

His funeral prayers were offered at the Jamia Masjid Allah Akbar, Defence Road.

Dr Mahmood hailed from a village near Dinga town of Gujrat and graduated from the Government College University (GCU), Lahore.

His famous books include Pakistan: Political Roots and Development 1947-1999, Pakistan: Rule of Muslim League and Inception of Democracy (1947-54), Pakistan Divided: Study of Factors and Forces, Leading to the Breakup of Pakistan in 1971, Dard-e-Agahi and Pakistan: Meri Mohabat.

Dr Mahmood was also the recipient of President’s Pride of Performance for his contributions to the field of history. He wrote about a dozen books and some of them were translated into German, Chinese, Bengali, Uzbek and Sindhi languages.

He wrote columns for the daily Jang under the title of ‘Subh Bakhair’ while his research articles were published in journals and magazines of international repute.

He has also served at different administrative and posts as a member of the Central Superior Services.

Chief Minister Usman Buzdar expressed grief at the demise of Dr Mahmood.

Published in Dawn, September 14th, 2021