M Rafique Goraya
I humbly join the human rights bodies, writers, intellectuals, all those who stand for liberal, enlightened, humanitarian, progressive worldview, freedom of expression and thought, truth, merit, equality, justice, egalitarian and pluralist democratic societies to mourn death of Aslam Azhar who passed away on 29th December 2015 in Islamabad after protracted illness at the age of 83 .
Aslam Azhar was undoubtedly a man of many dimensions, he was founder of PTV, a prolific writer, a rare broadcaster / interviewer, commentator, a versatile drama artist, director and a charismatic team leader and an intellectual giant, rather a metaphor.
My association with this great man started during early days of Pakistan Television in February 1965 when he picked me as his personal assistant and in-charge of his secretariat at a young age of 22 and half years.
In addition to the daily secretariat work, it was my good luck to take dictation and type manuscript of his non-fictional unpublished book “East is East and West is West”, a scholarly work about what I understood “civilization and the contemporary world”. I worked with him till his transfer to Rawalpindi TV Training Centre and upcoming RI TV Centre in second half of 1996 Aslam Azhar remained head of PTV till 1976.
His father, A.D. Azhar, was one of the top bureaucrats of the nascent Pakistan. He was a satirist poet of considerable repute.
Aslam Azhar was born in Lahore in 1932; he got education in the finest institutions of Lahore, Central Model School Government College Lahore and later the University of Cambridge. With such an elitist social and cultural background he would have excelled in any branch of Pakistan’s autocratic bureaucratic setup. But his love for theatre, performing and visual arts, documentaries, drama, classic literature, progressive/liberal leanings, melodious, made-for-theatre and broadcasting voice led him to fine arts; otherwise, it would have been a fish out of water.
While framing the short - and long-term policies of PTV, Aslam Azhar and his colleagues Fazal Kamal, Agha Nasir, Nisar Hussain and Zaka Durrani decided that policymaking will be guided by three ‘ideals’: it would be “Information, Education and Entertainment”.
They further decided that only women of respectable and educated families would be invited to act in plays and perform in programmes.
He successfully persuaded his wife, Nasreen Azhar, a woman of substance, to act in PTV plays. Nasreen was editor of children’s page of Pakistan Times at that time. Fazal Kamal’s wife, Nayyar Kamal, an actor par excellence, also frequently acted in PTV’s plays. Very talented and versatile actor Shamim Ahmad, the wife of former Ambassador and well known analyst Zafar Hilali, Samina Ahmad, human rights activist and politician Mahnaz Rafi, Madam Khurshid Shahid mother of famous actor Salman Shahid, Nasreen Rafi, are the relics of that early PTV era.
His finest hour came during September 1995 War against India when the whole nation from Torkhum to Chittagong stood like a solid rock against the aggression and foiled enemy’s all attempts to enter Lahore. PTV’s creative team led by Aslam Azhar magnificently supported by writers, poets singers like Madam Noor Jahan/musicians and artists put up such inspiring and motivating programmes and national songs that the government declared PTV as one of the essential services/institutions of Pakistan.
In January 1972 Zulfikar Ali Bhutto appointed Aslam Azhar Managing Director of PTV assigning him the challenging task of uplifting the morale of a defeated, shattered, disintegrated and demoralized nation after 1971 War against India and project inherent strength of the Pakistani nation.
Aslam Azhar performed this national duty remarkably well. He gathered his well-groomed and trusted team. The specially written inspiring songs such as Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi’s “Agar Hai Jazba-e-Tameer Zinda” beautifully sung by Tahira Syed, “Aye Watan, Pyarey Watan” sung by inimitable Ustad Amanat Ali Khan, Allama Iqbal’s poem “Har Lahza Hai Momin Ki Nai Aan Nai Shan” rendered by Madam Noor Jahan and others uplifted the nation to new heights of determination, valour, strength and confidence.
The live coverage of Islamic Summit 1974 in Lahore was a new milestone in the history of Pakistan Television and achievements of PTV workers. During his stewardship of PTV till 1976, Aslam Azhar achieved many successes. He had a rare knack for spotting and nurturing talent. The ungrateful and unfaithful to his motherland Adnan Sami was also one of his finds.
While heading the PTV he was laden with one of the heaviest responsibilities of educating an illiterate nation, informing largely ignorant people and entertaining a heavily indoctrinated section of the population.
In short, the charismatic and inspiring leadership of Aslam Azhar, his innate brilliance, unquestionable integrity of character and intellect, unflinching loyalty to Pakistan, human rights, freedom of speech and expression, fair play, uncompromising principles, values, generosity to forgive, appreciate, praise, far away from greed, personal gain or bureaucratic tendencies, easy accessibility to everyone and self-accountability were the indispensable ingredients for early and later enduring success of PTV as a family channel.
To put this great man’s life in words the Human Rights Commission aptly termed his death “a great loss of Pakistan “ – “indeed the passing of a cultural era; of a renaissance man. Very few come this honest anymore.
POSTSCRIPT;
On learning that Aslam Azhar was seriously ill after a surgical operation I went to Islamabad to pay my respects a few months before his passing away. He was bedridden and had stopped to see visitors. I telephoned Nasreen and placed my request. She told me that “Aslam Sahib had stopped meeting visitors but let me check up from Aslam and telephone me after 20 minutes”, It was my good luck that Mrs. Azhar allowed me to come at 6.pm. I, and my friends A. Shakoor Tahir and Bokhari, both retired PTV Directors, went to pay our respects. Aslam Azhar was very weak, in pain and almost paralyzed after about ten minutes we begged leave. He gave us permission with his famous broad smile.
(The writer is Staff Reporter of Business Recorder and former Director / Controller of PTV. He can be reached at [email protected])
