Prof. Dr. Haroon Rashid Tabassum is a versatile scholarly figure with an amazing bulk of 150 miscellaneous literary and 27 curricular publications to his authorial credit. A dynamic college teacher of long standing, he is also an avid social worker and an ardent promoter of cultural activities in his native town Sargodha and elsewhere, too. Radio compering and civil defence are his secondary pursuits. The aforementioned six books were published in a row, in one calendar year, i.e. 2023 which bespeaks his creative prowess and prolificacy.
Meezan-e-Kutub
Dr. Tabassum possesses a sparkling critical insight which enables him to evaluate literary publications in an objective, balanced and catholic measure. His opinions are seemingly spontaneous yet laced with knowledge, wisdom, and verity. The book in view is a collection of critical estimates of some select creative work by Muhammad Saeed Badar Qadri, Tariq Aziz, Dr. Salim Agha Qizilbash, Dr. Khurram Altaf, Dr. Asif Riaz Qadeer, Dr. Mohsin Maghiana, Gul Bakhshalvi, Sadia Huma Sheikh Advocate, Prof. Tafakhur Mehmood Gondal, Javed Akhtar Bhatti, Shahida Latif, and Parvin Sajjal, to cite a few.
Kitab Ghar
This is another anthology embodying critical appraisal of the work of Dr. Muhammad Arif Khan, Akram Kunjahi, Riaz Nadeem Niazi, Dr. Sikandar Hayar Mekan, Mumtaz Rashidi, Amjad Hamid Mohsin, Abid Husain Qureshi, Nasim Sehar, and a few others.
Chamanistan-e-Kutub
Dr. Tabassum’s critical acumen finds an eloquent display in this book, with some concise but crisp articles on the person and work of Prof. Muhammad Iqbal Javed, Dr. Talib Hussain Sial, Manzar Arifi, Zulfiqar Ahsan, Parvin Sajjal, Dr. Muhammad Ayub, Dr. Abdul Aziz Malik, Naji Khan Naji, Ishtiaq Ahmad Naushahi Suchyari, Dr. Zahid Munir Aamir, Aqeel Abbas Jafri, Najma Mansoor, Prof. Noor Kamal Shah, Hamid Ali Syed et al.
Sada Sohna Pakistan
It is a collection of Dr.Tabassum’s reflective esays in Punjabi concerning men and matters, on a host of societal, cultural, scientific, and technological issues. The list of contents inter alia includes some patriotic writings; a proclamation of urgency to improve and uplift the national infrastructure (such as roads, railways, irrigation, and vital industrial organs); the stories of the achievements of Arfa Karim (Computer), Babar Iqbal (Microsoft), and Malala Yusufzai (Education and Peace); a searching study of national economy; the function and role of National Book Foundation; the importance and viability of CPEC; an appreciation of the role of the national security forces in the domains of defence, nation-building, and peace, progress and prosperity of the country; importance of civil defence; the significance and sanctity of the Constitution of Pakistan; and a comprehensive list of the governors general, presidents, and prime ministers of Pakistan, since its inception.
Shakir Nizami — Aik Kahani
Shakir Nizami (1945-2021) was a well-known poet, writer, teacher, journalist, socio-political analyst, orator, and broadcaster from Sargodha. The aforementioned book spells out his biographical data, personal achievements, and social, cultural, and professional engagements with a view to paying a well-meaning homage to the departed soul.
Falak NasheeN Loge
This book contains biographical essays on as many as thirty-one (31) late personages whom the writer admired and followed during their life time. Belonging to different careers and vocations, they earned wide acclaim and respect for their multi-faceted talent and virtuosity. Most of them had their native roots in Sargodha, the biographer’s home town. The writer has highlighted their character and conduct as role-models in their respective sphere of activity.
The biographees include Bushra Rahman, a feminist poet and socialite from Bahawalpur; Muhammad Rafiq Tarar, a former honourable President of Pakistan; Maulana Zahoor Ahmad Bagvi, a religious scholar and a zealous worker of the Pakistan Movement; Bilqees Bano Eidhi, the spouse and active partner of the famed philanthropist Abdus Sattar Eidhi; Baqaullah Sanai, a leading socio-cultural figure committed to community service with a tilt toward politics; Ghulam-us-Saqlain Naqvi, a noted educationist and fiction writer; Dr. Wazir Agha, a veteran but highly accomplished critic, poet, inshaiya writer, researcher, and founder of the epic literary magazine ‘Auraq’; Sh. Anwar Goindi, poet, literary activist, and a devout political worker; Gopi Chand Narang, a classic Urdu litterateur, researcher and theoretician, widely respected and recognised in the Urdu literary world; the famous Pakistani atomic scientist Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan; the popular Pakistani War hero Air Commodore M. M. Alam; Dr. Akhtar Shumar, a talented scholar and poet of Urdu; Begum Akhtar Riazuddin, a leading travelogue writer of Urdu; Prof. Muhammad Munawar Mirza, a distinguished teacher of Urdu and an authority on Allama Iqbal; Mahnaz Ata Chaudhry, an energetic social worker and philanthropist; Amjad Islam Amjad, an eminet Urdu poet and playwright; and Shaukat Siddiqui, an icon of Urdu fiction and author of the novel titled ‘Khuda Ki Basti’ (1957).
