About & Testimonials

I'd like to express my deepest appreciation for the mentorship Prof. Dr. Syed Wiqar Ali Shah extended during my MPhil and PhD in QAU. He was not only a teacher and academic supervisor but like an affectionate family member. He fixed my mistakes and turned them into a learning opportunity. His guidance has been influential, and I know it has shaped my developing skills and habits as I move into my professional career.

I want to tell you all how much I appreciate Prof. Wiqar's efforts as he was always willing to put in extra time if the situation called for it. Especially during my PhD, when he was away in Heidelberg, Germany, he took long hours to guide me through phone and email. I'm grateful for the attention he has given me as his research student. He created scholars and researchers out of careless students. His students are serving in almost all Pakistani universities and abroad as well. Dr. Wiqar is a great asset and an excellent source of inspiration for all of us.

Prof. Dr. Sayed Wiqar Ali Shah, a teacher of history, is known to us (students) as a living chapter of history. Prof. Wiqar, who served as Chairman of the Department of History and later as Dean of Social Sciences, has a long career of almost thirty-five years at Quaid-i-Azam University, full of motivation and inspiration for many students like me.

It was commonly stated about Prof Shah's lectures that — let's go and listen to the living history. His excellent narration of historical facts and analysis impressed and inspired every student and teacher in the hall. In one of his recent lectures, I am witness to the fact where faculty members outnumbered the students.

Besides his academic aspects, Prof Wiqar Shah is known to many of us as a beloved teacher, a humble soul, a sweet friend, a simple and down-to-earth human, a kind elder and guardian, a well-mannered and welcoming colleague. His simplicity and sweet sense of humor has earned him so much love and respect which I rarely witnessed in this university for any other faculty member or teacher.

The most difficult life in academics is lived by a historian. He has been carrying the burden of history on his shoulders, bearing all the winds and tornadoes instilled by regimes, dictatorships and monarchs. There are very few historians that stand tall, upholding the beacon of truth and academic excellence. Prof. Dr. Sayed Wiqar Ali Shah certainly is a major part of this prestigious league.

I remember from my student life, his classroom was always overcrowded. Students from other disciplines apart from history would also come and listen to his interesting lectures — a very rare moment in academia nowadays. His candid story of academic career from "Baby Professor" to "Baba Professor" engulfs his association with the historian field and his disciples. People like Dr. Sayed Wiqar Ali Shah might retire in books of law, but their impacts live forever in hearts and minds.

Prof. Dr. Sayed Wiqar Ali Shah is one of the pillars of the Department of History, serving the discipline for the last three decades in various capacities. He is an internationally reputed scholar who has written countless books on the history of KP and translated many valuable works from Pashto to Urdu and English. He has produced more M.Phil and PhD students than any other faculty member in the department so far. He has also served twice as Chairperson of the History Department and also Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences.

His long-standing association with the department, commitment to discipline, love and affection for the students, and a great passion for his work will go a long way in being always remembered as a towering personality and a great mentor for hundreds of his students.

I don't remember much of my childhood. But it lives with me in the tales I hear from my mother. The stories about how Mamaji (Prof. Dr. Sayed Wiqar Ali Shah) would bring balloons every morning and would tie them to my hand and would sit and watch while I would play with them. Since childhood, Prof. Shah's house was my favorite place to visit because of the love we share for birds.

Mamaji is a fulcrum in our family, an inspiration and an epitome of love. Hard work, dedication and being humble are a few of those life lessons that I have learned from him. A perfect example of a true and practicing Muslim and a role model for all of us to follow.

It is a great pleasure and privilege for me to write a few words for the personality whom I admire the most, Professor Dr. Wiqar Ali Shah. I found him quite a humble and kind person during my very first meeting with him. Not only does he have a deep knowledge of History but he also knows how to impart his knowledge to students in an interesting and easily understandable way.

I have great regard for him not only because of the knowledge he has but also because of his noble personality. Whenever I had to face difficult situations in my career, it was him who gave me the right and sincere advice. He is just like a sun to me — a bright shining star who lights up the path for others.

Dr. Sayed Wiqar Ali Shah, a prominent historian who has made significant contribution in highlighting the struggle of the great Bacha Khan, is currently working at the Dept. of History at QAU. My first interaction with Prof. Shah was in Heidelberg, Germany during my doctorate when he joined the South Asian Institute as Iqbal Chair representative.

During his stay in Heidelberg, I was in close contact with him and he was like my family member. He arranged many social activities and gatherings at his place. His consistent support and appreciation at every step led my dream become reality — the completion of my PhD successfully. He is a very kind and noble person, the most pious person I have known.

Sweet memories of the past — revisiting the past is just like reimbursing the lost ones: thoughts, friends, relatives and all the near and dear ones. Wiqar, a self-made, hardworking simple Pashtun hailing from the important historical village Ziarat Kaka Sahib, brought with him the legacy of intellectualism and literary spirit.

When we — me, Karim & Wiqar — were in one hostel, most friends called us "troika" because of our company, friendship and scholarly pursuits. Wiqar contributed immensely to Pashtun/Afghan history, politics and literature with firsthand knowledge. He is a man of one word, straightforward, emotional, fond of eating, and a man of principle.

I feel honoured and privileged to be one of the students of Prof. Dr. Sayed Wiqar Ali Shah, former Chairman of the History Department and Dean of Social Sciences at QAU. When my PhD supervisor retired, Dr. Shah was gracious enough to take on the responsibility of supervising my dissertation, going through it with deep interest within a month — enabling me to obtain my PhD on time.

He was a tireless teacher, chairman and dean. He took great pains to build the careers of his colleagues in the History Department, particularly the juniors — a rare phenomenon in our society. His graduation from Peshawar University, doctoral study at Oxford, and stay at Heidelberg as Allama Iqbal Chair blossomed his scholarly worldview.

In short, Prof Dr Sayed Wiqar Ali Shah is a prolific writer, great historian, loving teacher, caring supervisor, kind chairman, gracious dean and — more importantly — an amazing human being. He has given a lot to the state and society of Pakistan by building departments, institutions and a fraternity of historians at the national and international level.