Tabassum Akhlaq

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Tabassum Akhlaq
Tabassum Akhlaq, 24th March, 2012 in Peshawar, Pakistan
Born	Tabassum Afridi (1964-05-19) May 19, 1964 (age 60) Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Occupation	Poetess
Nationality	Pakistani
Citizenship	Pakistani
Alma mater	F.G College, F-7/2, Islamabad, Pakistan
Genre	Ghazal; Free verse
Spouse	Akhlaq Ahmad Malik
Children	Sikkandar Ali Sundar Akhlaq Bad-e-Sahar Sanobar Akhlaq
Relatives	Josh Malihabadi (Grand-Father)

Tabassum Akhlaq (also known as Tabassum Afridi and Tabassum Akhlaq Malihabadi, born 19th May, 1964) is a renowned poetess, writer, intellectual, columnist and event organizer from Pakistan. She is the grand-daughter of Josh Malihabadi^[1] and the founding chairperson of Josh Memorial Committee^[2].

Tabassum Akhlaq, birth name Tabassum Afridi, was born to Sajjad Haider Kharosh and Anwar Begum on 19th May, 1964 in Karachi, Pakistan. Her father was the only son of the revolutionary Urdu poet, Josh Malihabadi while her mother was the daughter of a former Minister to the Nawab of the princely state of Junagarh. After her grandfather was blacklisted by the then President of Pakistan, Ayub Khan^[3][4], the business of her father was sealed and all assets confiscated. Thus, despite being from a highly influential family, most of her childhood years were spent in the state of poverty. During this time of turmoil, her father went through a nervous breakdown and her mother went schizophrenic leaving the responsibility of her education and upbringing of her younger brother to her elder brother and two elder sisters. She completed her primary education at Pakistan Model School, Karachi.

In 1973, her family moved to Islamabad to live with Josh Malihabadi. There, she enrolled in F.G College, F-7/2, Islamabad for secondary education. While living in Islamabad, she became influenced by the poetry of her grandfather, Josh Malihabadi. She started writing free verse poetry at the early age of 12. During that time, literary gatherings were held on a regular basis at her residence. She regularly attended these gathering (Urdu: مشاعره‎) and as a result of the influences, she slowly developed her own writing style and gradually developed into a mature poetess. She participated in and won various poetry and prose competitions in her college. She completed her graduation (B.A Urdu and History) from F.G College, F-7/2, Islamabad in 1982.

She was married to Akhlaq Ahmad Malik, an entrepreneur and government supplier, on 29th April, 1984. She relocated to Rawalpindi after marriage. She has four children. Her first child, Sikkandar Ali, was born on 3rd November, 1984 in Islamabad. Her other children are Sundar Akhlaq, Bad-e-Sahar and Sanobar Akhlaq.

Her grandfather, Josh Malihabadi died on 22nd February, 1982 in Islamabad, Pakistan after prolonged illness. After his death, Tabassum Akhlaq assumed the responsibility to carry his literary legacy. She founded Josh Memorial Committee on 10th January, 1987 along with Maulana Kausar Niazi, Zia Jalandhari, Dr. Inaam-ul-Haq Javed, Ghazanfar Mehdi, Farrukh Jamal, Syed Arif, Shams Rizwi, Maqsood Jafri and various others^[5][6]. Maulana Kausar Niazi was the first chairman of the committee. The committee was formed to organize seminars and conferences on the life, personality, history and literary work of Josh Malihabadi.

After the death of Maulana Kausar Niazi in 1994, Tabassum Akhlaq became the chairperson of Josh Memorial Committee. Under her leadership, the committee continues to operate at national level and organizes seminars bi-annually on the birthday (5th December) and death anniversary (22nd February) of Josh Malihabadi^{[7][8][9][10][11]}.

Tabassum Akhlaq is an active poet, speaker and columnist in domestic, national and international events^{[12][13][14][15][10][16]}. Romance, religion, solitude and peace are the major themes of her poetry. Four of her poetry books are in the stage of either printing, publishing, proofreading or composing. She is also working on a biography of Josh Malihabadi and a compilation of her columns^[5].

In August, 2012, the Government of Pakistan announced Hilal-e-Imtiaz fpr Josh Malihabadi^{[17][18][19][20]}. The award will be presented to Tabassum Akhlaq on 23rd March, 2013.