Aslam Azhar
Aslam Azhar | |
|---|---|
| Born | 2 September 1932 Nigar Award (1999) (2012) |
Aslam Azhar (
He was the first Chairman and Managing Director of
Early life and career
Aslam Azhar was born in Lahore as a son of a government servant during the British Raj. He studied law at Cambridge University and later worked for the Burmah Oil Company. He was also interested in theater, and met his wife Nasreen Jan through a theater group.[2]
Meanwhile, Pakistani government wanted to set up a television service in the country. The Japanese were given the contract to set up a pilot television station in Lahore. Aslam Azhar was asked to come to Lahore from Karachi and start the television station in Lahore. He convinced the renowned writers
Death and legacy
He died on 29 December 2015 at the age of 83. His funeral was performed on 30 December 2015 at Islamabad, Pakistan.[4][5] He has two sons, Usama Azhar and Arieb Azhar, who is a musician, and a daughter, Umaima Azhar. Also among the survivors was his wife of 51 years, Nasreen Azhar.[1][5]
In 2016, one of the major English-language Pakistani newspaper commented, "He was one of the founding fathers of Pakistan Television (PTV) – the title not merely an empty slogan. When the medium came to Pakistan in 1964, Azhar spearheaded its evolution, and did not make his exit before making PTV a dynamic broadcasting institution."[5]
Another Pakistani veteran bureaucrat Roedad Khan said, 'I called Aslam Azhar, who was general manager at the time, and said I don't know much about television but I want to learn. I learnt a lot from him. Before the 1970 elections, we decided to cover the elections live. Even though the technology wasn't advanced enough, and the engineers had no experience with it, we did it."[5]
"Leaders such as
Awards and recognition
- A Special Award from Nigar Awards- 'Millennium Award' in 1999.
- A Tamgha-i-Pakistan Award in 1968 by the President of Pakistan.[2]
- Sitara-i-Imtiaz Award (Star of Excellence) Award on 23 March 2012 by President Asif Ali Zardari.[6]
See also
References
- ^ a b Javed Jabbar (January 2016). "'Createlevity' - Aslam Azhar's distinctive abilities [1932-2015]". Dawn Group of Newspapers - Aurora magazine. Archived from the original on 28 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Aslam Azhar - A Hard but Happy Life". Dawn newspaper. 15 January 2011. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ "Enthralling content: Aslam Azhar recites Ghalib". The Express Tribune newspaper. 20 April 2014. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ "Founding Father of PTV Aslam Azhar passes away". ARY TV News website. 29 December 2015. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Ikram Junaidi (4 January 2016). "Tributes paid to Aslam Azhar". Dawn newspaper. Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ "Aslam Azhar's Sitara-i-Imtiaz Award info". The Express Tribune newspaper. 23 March 2012. Archived from the original on 23 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2024.