Riaz Batalvi (1937-2003)

Riaz Batalvi, a journalist, became a writer and a dramatist, giving PTV two of its best productions – Aik Haqeeqat, Aik Afsana and Dubai Chalo.

Born as Riazul Hasan in February 1937 in Gurdaspur, he served as editor of Daily Mashriq. When he came to Pakistan after partition, he joined Daily Kohistan, which was edited by novelist Nasim Hijaji. He joined Mashriq when the paper was launched in 1963.

At Mashriq, he started feature writing by becoming a people’s person. Mashriq would announce reward for Lahorites if any one of them could spot Batalvi among them. Next day his pictures would be published sometimes as a porter at the railway station or a cart hawker or even a beggar, telling readers he was among them. This would provide Batalvi rich material for his features. His drama - Dubai Chalo - was an instant hit which was also turned into a film.

Similarly Aik Haqeeqat, Aik Afsana was the leading drama series on PTV. In 1986 he was given the Pride of Performance award by the government for excellence in literature. He died on January 3, 2003.

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Hameed Nizami (1915-1962)

Hameed Nizami was an eminent journalist. He was the founder of the Urdu newspaper Nawa-i-Waqt, and played an important role in the Pakistan Movement. He was born on October 3, 1915 at Sangla Hill

Ahmed Ali Khan (1924-2007)

Born in 1924 in Bhopal, Ahmed Ali Khan's association with Dawn began in Delhi in 1946 and ended in Karachi in 2004. He remained with the newspaper for nearly 42 years - 28 of them as editor

F.E. Choudhry (1909-2013)

Affectionately known as Chacha in the journalist community, F. E. Choudhry is credited to have introduced innovative features to photojournalism, such as cricket action photography, pictorial and

Ayaz Amir

A prominent print and television journalist, columnist, political analyst, and commentator, Ayaz Amir became known for his weekly columns in Daily Dawn. He started writing for Dawn during the government of Ziaul Haq

Anwar Ali (1922-2004)

Anwar Ali, creator of famous character Nanna, was the first newspaper cartoonist associated with The Pakistan Times. Born on April 18, 1922 in Ludhiana, his association with this newspaper

Khalid Hasan (1935-2009)

Khalid Hasan was a senior Pakistani journalist and writer. He was born in Srinagar, Kashmir. He was the brother in law of the first elected president of Azad Jammu & Kashmir K H Khurshid, private secretary

Anjum Niaz (1948-2018)

Before joining journalism, Anjum Niaz taught at the Karachi American School and Pakistan American Council. A master's in English Literature from the Punjab University, she joined the

Mazhar Ali Khan (1918-1993)

Mazhar Ali Khan served as the Editor-in-Chief of the newspapers Pakistan Times from 1951 to 1959, Dawn in 1972, and the journal Viewpoint. He graduated from the Punjab University in Lahore in 1939

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