احمد داؤد کے افسانوں میں علامت نگاری کا تجزیاتی مطالعہ

(Analytical Study of Symbolism in the Short Stories of Ahmed Daud)

Abstract

Ahmed Daud occupies a distinctive position in modern Urdu fiction due to his intense reliance on symbolism as a mode of political resistance and psychological articulation. Writing under conditions of authoritarian rule, censorship, and socio-political instability, Daud transforms symbolism into a counter-narrative against repression, fear, and existential suffocation. This research article investigates the multilayered symbolic structure in Ahmed Daud’s short stories, focusing on political, psychological, and social symbolism. The study argues that Daud’s symbolic discourse not only reflects the collective trauma of martial law regimes but also interrogates the collapse of human agency, freedom, and moral values in Pakistani society. Through close textual analysis, the article situates Ahmed Daud within the broader tradition of symbolic and modernist Urdu short fiction.