By: Naseebullah Achakzai
From a city where literacy rate is less than 25 percent in 21st century__one can imagine that how sorry state of educational affairs in the 1970s could be. It needs a huge commitment, hard work, persistence, and determination for a person to acquire education and become a profound literary figure and hold key posts. It is admirable that despite suffering socio-economic challenges, a person emerges on the horizon and gets three degrees of Master in Botany, Islamist, and Pashto. He does not stop here and his thirst for education continues by acquiring a Ph.D. degree and becomes the first person of the province and the whole Pashtun tribe by having completed the doctorate on the discipline of Iqbaliyat. With the passage of time, he assumes the charge of many key pots and becomes the author of more than fifty books.
Dr. Abdul Rauf Rafiqui, born in Chaman, is an eminent personality who is a symbol of consistency, destitution survivor, having an appetite for knowledge, enthusiasm, devotion, and passion. His whole career is a stimulation for the new generation. Mr. Rafiqui started his career as a Banker and retired from a key post in Allied Bank after 26 years of service. After retirement, he chaired Khan Abdul Samad Khan Assakzai research center as the director of at the University of Balochistan. Recently, he has been serving as Assistant Professor in the Pakistan Studies center in the University of Baluchistan.
Literature is his love. His lust as a voracious reader can be judged from his interview with the Voice of America, in which he shows his library comprises 35000 books including many antique books at his home Which is always open for researchers. From his very teenage life, his pen has been coloring the papers. He has produced more than 50 books and also 50 research articles in Pashto and Persian literature which consist of poetry and research_oriented dimensions. This gigantic contribution has been applauded by national and international authorities by confirming him with countless awards in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Notwithstanding, he has participated in many national and international Seminars in Afghanistan, Turkey, and Iran where his lectures full of research on different topics have quenched the thirst of the people.
The struggle of Mr. Rafiqui does not pause to writing only. He has been the founder and member of many research centers, literary societies, different educational boards for the development of education and curriculum, and academies. On the other side, he has been writing, comparing, and hosting different programs on Radio Pakistan and Pakistan Television Network, whereas on the PTV his literary program (Khorgeen) Got worldwide fame. Apart from this, Dr. Abdul Rauf Rafiqui has been a member of the editorial boards of different magazines and Journals too.
Mr. Rafiqui,s unending and never tiring efforts have helped Pashto and Persian literature ostensibly__by producing admirable poetry and research_oriented books. His research articles have been a great source of references for the students on myriad disciplines. His struggle (once he told the writer that he used to bind the books in provincial library Quetta at the cheapest price during his college life for his educational expenses) since his teenage and emerging as an influential and motivational figure from a background area speaks volume of his caliber, contribution, tenacity, dedication, diligence, and love for literature which is also impetuous for the young souls.
The writer is a freelance columnist. He tweets at @Naseebk95976870