Shafqat Tanvir Mirza – known by many as STM (6 February 1932 – 20 November 2012) was a Pakistani writer and a journalist known for his activism for Punjabi culture and language. He was also a journalist union leader and was sent to jail twice because of his activities on behalf of newspapers he worked for.

Early life and education

Belonging to a Rajput family that took the Mirza nobility title during the times of emperor Akbar, his ancestors belonged to Rajouri (now in Jammu and Kashmir, India), but Mirza himself was born in February 1932 the village of Domeli, in the Jhelum District (now in Punjab, Pakistan), where his father, a Range Officer in the Punjab Forest Department, was transferred. Mirza studied at schools in Chakwal, Khushab, Wazirabad, Attock, Bahawalnagar and at Gordon College, Rawalpindi.

Career

Mirza's earlier career centred on Rawalpindi, where he worked for the daily newspapers Tameer and Hilal, as well as at Radio Pakistan. In 1970, he joined Daily Musawat, subsequently moving on to Daily Imroze, where he became the editor. In the 1990s, Shafqat Tanvir Mirza joined the English language newspaper Dawn, where he contributed regular columns on Punjabi language and culture.

Activities as an author and translator

Shafqat Tanvir Mirza was also active as an author, writing and translating a number of books. He wrote in Urdu, Punjabi and English.

Awards and recognition