Satire dies: Columnist Masood Hasan leaves for his heavenly abode

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 2 June 2014

Masood Hasan, a prominent columnist and humorist, died following a brief illness at the age of 72. His satirical columns have made a lasting impact on Pakistani journalism.

Summary

LAHORE: Leading columnist and advertising expert Masood Hasan died on Sunday following a brief illness. He was 72.

Masood, the younger brother of late journalist Khalid Hasan and father of singer Meekal Hasan was born in Jammu and wrote satirical columns - 'Off the Beaten Track' and 'From the Doghouse' for The Pakistan Times. Later he wrote 'Over the Top' regularly for The News for almost 20 years.

The News paid tributes to the columnist Monday. In an editorial titled 'The death of satire', the paper said with his passing away, a huge blow has been delivered to column writing in the country.

Through his column 'Over the Top' "he had with unequaled magic of the pen lampooned the country's national cricket team, leaders such as General Musharraf, the state of our society, other political players, major clubs, PIA and almost everything else under the sun, including public toilets."

The paper said "we have lost a true lover of Pakistan - a man who never hesitated in person or in print to say exactly what he felt quite unapologetically. There are too few like him."

Masood was laid to rest at the Guru Mangat Road Graveyard on Sunday.