Born in Sialkot, Punjab, British India on 15 December 1926,[1] to Shaikh Ataullah (1896 - 1968), a well-known literary scholar and professor of economics at the Aligarh Muslim University originally from Jalalpur Jattan in the Gujrat district of Punjab, Masood was a graduate of the Aligarh Muslim University as well in 1948.
[2] In 1949, he passed Central Superior Services (CSS) examination and went on to serve at different important positions such as commissioner and federal secretary.
[3][2] He wrote four books – Awaz-e-Dost, Safer Naseeb, Harf-e-Shouq, Loh-e-Ayyam – all of which are highly regarded in literary circles of Pakistan.
[1] Playwright Asghar Nadeem Syed reportedly said, "Mukhtar Masood was a great writer with a style similar to Qudratullah Shahab.
He was serving as Lahore's deputy commissioner at that time and took keen interest in the execution of the construction project.