| Birth Name: | Inayatullah |
| Birth Date: | November 1, 1920 |
| Death Date: | November 16, 1999 |
| Occupation: | Novelist / editor |
| Years Active: | 1970 - 1999 |
Inayatullah (1920 - 1999) was a Pakistani novelist, story writer, and the founding editor of monthly Hikayat Digest.
Inayatullah was born in a Rajput family on November 1, 1920, in Gujar Khan, Punjab, British India. In 1936, he passed his matriculation examination and joined British army as a clerk. He was in an infantry unit of the British army and fought at Burma front against Japan. In 1944, Inayatullah was taken prisoner by the government of Japan, but he managed to flee from the prison. Then he again joined the British army and was sent by the authorities to Malaysia to counter the rebellions.After the partition of India, Inayatullah joined the Pakistan Air Force as a corporal. In 1965, when the war started between Pakistan and India, he became a war correspondent.[1] [2]
Inayatullah started his career as an editor of the monthly Sayyara digest. He later founded his own publishing house, Maktabae Daastan. In 1970, Inayatullah began publishing a monthly magazine called Hikayat Digest from Lahore. Inayatullah was drawn to writing historical books during the time. He also wrote historical novels, hunting stories, and detective fiction in addition to his editorial job. He also wrote about general psychology, biography, politics, and social evils in his essays.He published over a hundred works under the pen names Meem Alf, Iltumsh, Ahmad Yar Khan, Sabir Hussain Rajput, Waqas, Mehdi Khan, and Gumnaam Khatoon, along with his original name Inayatullah.
Inayatullah died on November 16, 1999, in Lahore at the age of 79.