Shahab Nama - Legacy

Legacy

From the early days of Pakistan, Shahab worked with the national leadership country until the regime of Yahya Khan. Shahab revealed in Shahab Nama, as Mumtaz Mufti did in Alakh Nagri, that the idea of giving Pakistan the name "Islamic Republic of Pakistan" was actually proposed by him to Ayub Khan. Shahab argued in the parliament in favor of this idea, which was unanimously accepted by the leaders.

The last chapter of Shahab Nama about his exposure to spiritualism has been controversial. Though throughout his lifetime, Shahab had enjoyed a respectful image among his colleagues and friends. Many of them paid him tributes in their essays and short stories. Notably, Mumtaz Mufti made him the subject of his autobiography Alakh Nagri and later dedicated another book Labbaik. Bano Qudsia, a veteran Urdu writer, wrote a book Mard-e-Abresham on Shahab's personality. A collection of essays about Qudrutullah Shahab has been compiled in a book, Zikr-e-Shahab.