Obituaries
Some Reflections on Bhutto’s Anniversary
Washington, DC: Forty years have passed since the death – ostensibly by an unjust hanging, which some consider as a judicial murder – of Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. His supporters view him as a martyr while his detractors consider him to have been the ‘most divisive’ leader of the country. Twenty-nine years have …
Rana Shaukat Mahmood | 1939-2019
Rana Shaukat Mahmood walked away with the angel of death to his Maker after a protracted illness. Though his death may not cause a void in national politics for he had been out of active politics for the last few years, his demise, however, closed a chapter of ideological struggle and decent working for the …
Master Abdullah | 1930 to 1st February, 1994
We tere naal aenj rehna Jiwen dhup naale chaan sajnan Wakh tere to na rahan sajnan Few composers reached the heights that Master Abdullah touched in his lifetime. An unequivocal giant of Pakistan’s film Industry, his musical prowess and innovative genius made him a legend during his lifetime and decades after his death. He was …
Roohi Bano: A trend-setter in Pakistan TV
TV actor par excellence Roohi Bano, who ruled the hearts of PTV drama fans for years for her incredible performances in the early years of the state television channel, is no more. She was 68. She died in Istanbul, with her sister and a nephew by her side, from kidney failure. She is survived by …
Malik Hakmeen Khan – he died with his boots on
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) lost one of its diehard and loyal members in former provincial minister Malik Hakmeen Khan on January 4. He began his political career from the PPP platform and breathed his last in the PPP fold. His coffin was proudly draped in a PPP flag. One of the founding members of …
Ahmad Faraz | January 12 1931, 25 August 2008)
Khwaab martay naheen Khwaab dil hain, nah aankhen, nah saansen keh jo Rezaa, rezaa huwe to bikhar jaayen ge Jism ki maut se ye bhi mar jaayen ge A man who weaved dreams of love and passion has left indelible impressions on the hearts and minds of the lovers of Urdu poetry the world over. …
Ali Raza Abidi – a rare politician (July 6, 1972 to December 25, 2018)
The tolerant, soft-spoken and pro-peace former lawmaker of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-P (MQM-P) was shot at and injured outside his house in Karachi Defence late on December 25, 2018. His family says he was to dine out with them on that night and for that reason, he was home to pick them when two motorcyclists …
Josh Malihabadi | December 05 1894 to 22 February 1982
Aur tu aur khud insan baha jata hy ketna pur hol hy tufan-e-rawayat aay Josh Ehl-e-alfaz shariat pay maray jatay hain Kis ko samjhaon masheyat k isharat aay Josh Josh Malihabadi will be remembered as Shayar-e-Shabab (poet of beauty) and Shayar-e-Inqilab (rebel poet). This 20th century master poet’s life and work has gained public attention, …
Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi | August 20 November 1916, 10 July 2006
Dawar-e hashr! mujhe teri qasam (O Lord of the Day of Judgment, I swear by you) Umr bhar mein ne ibadat ki hay (I have worshipped all my life) Tu mera namaa-e-amaal tau dekh (Look at my balance sheet) Mein ne insaan se mohabbat ki hay (I have loved mankind) A humanist and a revolutionary, …
Fehmida Riaz | 28 July 1946 – 22 November 2018
I am not an exceptionally politically over-charged poet. Perhaps the only exception is that I am a woman, excerpt from a magazine interview. Fehmida Riaz is no more—with her the voice of reason, critical inquiry and profundity. Fehmida is acclaimed as a writer and poet of the progressive movement. All her life she stood up …