حياة نسيم حجازي ومكانته العلمية والأدبية في الأدب الأردي

Abstract: The article deals with the life and contribution ofNaseem Hijazi towards reconstruction ofIslamic thought through his historical novels in New Muslim generation. As a novel writer < Naseem Hijazi is regarded as one of thefinest writers of Urdu language especially in the later 20th century. Among his popular contemporaries were Ibn-e-Safh Saadat Hasan Manto< and Shqfiq-ur-Rehman< all having their particular line ofliterature. Naseem Hijazi is knownfor his potent and romantic description of history. There are only two writers prior to Hijazi who wrote history novels in Urdu: Abdul Haleem Sharar and Sadiq sardhunwi < but Hijazi’s writing is most credible in terms of historical description and accuracy. He exercised extra care to back his study of history by through research and to cite his sources whenever possible. Hijazi creates his powerful expression by blending this study of history with fairytale romanticism. The story usually revolves around characters who were related to< and shown present at the actual historical event that wishes tofocus on. Naseem Hijazi bases most ofhis work in Islamic history. In dealing with this history' he shows both the rise and fall of the Islamic Empire. This writer seems to have been inspired a lot by Allama Muhammad Iqbal's poetry. He tries, not very unlike Iqbal, to remind his readers of the lost glory of the Muslims and in a way inspire them to work with commitment to achieve lost glory in all walks of life. Naseem Hijazi has immensely influenced his readers both in and out of Pakistan. He has been one of the key sources of Islamist ideologies in Pakistan and worked as a key ideology and valour builder during the Soviet-Afghan War. Many Pakistani educated Youngsters throughout 1950s till today are believed to have been emotionally and ideologically inspired by his writings. He enjoys a very large reader base even after his death.

Molecular Investigation of Selected Mendelian Disorders in Pakistani Consanguineous Families

Mendelian disorders are caused by alterations in single gene with minimal influence from environment. The large effect size of these variants has always provided important insights into functional annotation of the genome. This knowledge is also instrumental for making important reproductive decisions and therapeutic intervention. Mendelian disorders are globally rare but are observed three folds more frequently in inbred/consanguineous populations. Pakistani population with high rates of consanguinity (>76%) coupled with large family size offers a rich resource for genetic studies of inherited disorders. In this study, eleven families segregating three different diseases Microcephaly, Epilepsy and Ciliopathies analysed using cutting edge technologies. Autosomal recessive primary microcephaly is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by congenital reduction in head circumference by >3SD from age and gender appropriate mean. Its incidence varies widely from one in million to one in 10,000; the latter pertaining to northern Pakistani population. To date, seventeen different causative genes have been reported. In this study, genetic analysis of seven families revealed one known and two novel mutations in already reported MCPH genes. Epilepsy is a heterogeneous group of neurological disorders characterized by chronic disposition to recurrent unprovoked seizures. A seizure, by definition, is an episode of abnormal, hypersynchronous activity in a neuronal population of brain that causes sudden involuntary change in behaviour, sensory perception and/or motor activity. Herein, two families were investigated through gene panel sequencing to reveal a reported and a novel mutation underlying epileptic seizures. The third category, ciliopathies, is a group of disorders caused by dysregulation of cilia related functions. Cilia are microtubule based cylindrical projections present on nearly all types of eukaryotic cells and mediate signal transduction of crucial developmental pathways. This study investigated two families, one with clinical diagnosis of a ciliopathy (Joubert Syndrome), while another family, initially undiagnosed, was successfully diagnosed as Nephronophthisis employing advanced genetic analysis. The findings of this study not only expand the mutation spectra, but through detailed clinical characterisation, highlight the diversity of its phenotype too. The knowledge will provide better insights in to disease mechanism and facilitate development of preventive and therapeutic interventions.