Patras Bokhari

Pir Syed Ahmed Shah Bokhari, widely known as Patras Bokhari, was a Pakistani diplomat, humorist, broadcaster and writer. He served as the Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations and held the position of Under-Secretary-General for Information until 1958.

Early life and education

Bokhari was born on 1 October 1898 in Peshawar, which was then part of the North-West Frontier Province of British India. His father was a Kashmiri who had migrated from Baramula during the 19th century. His mother was Hindkowan, while his Syed ancestors originally came from Bukhara, Uzbekistan. He spoke Hindko as his native language.

He attended Edwardes Mission School in Peshawar before moving to Lahore for further studies. After completing his Master of Arts in English at Government College in 1922, he achieved first place after only one year of study. He traveled to the United Kingdom to attend Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he received his Tripos in English. This academic journey shaped his bilingual excellence, as he spent much time translating plays and books from English into Urdu.

His brother, Zulfiqar Ali Bukhari, also became a noted broadcaster in Pakistan.

Career

Bokhari returned to Lahore in 1927 to teach English at Government College. He remained a professor at the institution until 1939. During his tenure, he taught notable poets such as Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Noon Meem Rashid. He eventually served as the Principal of Government College from 1947 to 1950.

Before the independence of Pakistan in 1947, he held the role of Director General of All India Radio in Delhi. In 1950, he joined Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan's delegation to the United States. He drafted several speeches for the prime minister that were later published in a volume titled Heart of Asia. This close professional relationship led to his appointment as Pakistan's permanent representative to the United Nations between 1951 and 1954.

From 1954 to 1958, he served as the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations for Information. During his time in New York, he successfully advocated for UNICEF during discussions regarding its potential closure. He argued that the organization's presence was vital for developing nations, and his efforts reportedly persuaded Eleanor Roosevelt to change her country's stance.

His literary contribution includes the 1927 essay collection Patras Kay Mazameen, which remains a significant work in Urdu humor. He also engaged in philosophical debates with Allama Iqbal on several occasions. At age 21, he published an article regarding Ancient Greek Rulers in the Kehkashan Lahore in March 1919.

Personal life

In 1923, Bokhari married Zubaida Wanchoo, a Punjabi-speaking Kashmiri woman and the daughter of a police superintendent. The couple had three children, including two sons named Mansoor and Haroon. Their daughter, Roshan Ara, passed away during her childhood.

While living in New York, he resided in a small house located along the East River. He maintained a multilingual household using Persian, Urdu, Pashto and the local dialect. Bokhari died from a heart attack on 5 December 1958 while still serving as a diplomat. He is buried in Valhalla Cemetery in New York.

Awards and recognition

Bokhari was named a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire in the 1944 Birthday Honours list. In October 1998, the Pakistan Post Office issued a commemorative postage stamp to mark his birth centenary. On 14 August 2003, President Pervez Musharraf announced that Bokhari would be posthumously awarded the Hilal-e-Imtiaz, which was formally conferred on 23 March 2004.

The Pakistan Academy of Letters established the Patras Bukhari Award in 1981 to honor the best English prose books by Pakistani writers. Additionally, the government of Tunisia named a road after him in Tunis in 1956. This gesture recognized his support for Tunisian freedom from French Colonial Rule.