Hameed Akhtar
| Hameed Akhtar | |
|---|---|
| Born |
12 March 1924 Ludhiana, British India[1] |
| Died |
17 October 2011 (age 87)[2] Lahore, Pakistan |
| Nationality | Pakistani |
| Occupation | Journalist, writer |
| Known for | Journalist, columnist[2] |
| Children | Saba Hameed (daughter) |
| Relatives |
Waseem Abbas (son-in-law) Faris Shafi (grandson) Meesha Shafi (granddaughter) Ali Abbas (grandson) |
Hameed Akhtar (1924–2011), was a veteran newspaper columnist, writer, journalist and the secretary-general of the Progressive Writers Association in Pakistan.[3] He was also the father of popular TV actress Saba Waseem Abbas.[1]
Early life and career
Hameed Akhtar finished his basic education in Ludhiana area and was a childhood friend of the now renowned poets Sahir Ludhianvi and Ibn-e-Insha in his school years.[2] He became a 'Hafiz-e-Quran' (memorized the Quran) at age 10. Later, his family migrated to Pakistan.
After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, he joined the daily Urdu language newspaper Daily Imroze in 1948 in Lahore and then later became its editor.[3] In 1970, he co-founded the daily Urdu language newspaper 'Azad' with fellow journalists Abdullah Malik and I. A. Rehman. Hameed Akhtar was a well-respected newspaper columnist and wrote columns for many newspapers in his lifetime, most recently for Daily Express newspaper. Writer Intezar Hussain described Hameed Akhtar as a chronicler of the Progressive Writers Movement who worked relentlessly for progressive causes such as achieving equality among humans, and his lifetime contributions are of great value. He also said, after Hameed Akhtar's death, that he wanted to pass on his bitter and sweet memories of the tough times he had to the next generation through his pen.[3] Over his lifetime, to name a few, Hameed Akhtar had interacted with writers like Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Munnu Bhai, Hafeez Jalandhri, Ismat Chughtai, Patras Bukhari, Saadat Hasan Manto, Kaifi Azmi, Krishan Chander and Jan Nisar Akhtar.[3]
Books and film scriptwriter
- Aashnaayian Kia Kia
- Kaal Kothri- this book was a memento of his time in jail[3]
- Royedad-e-Anjuman
- Sukh Ka Sapna (film script written for this 1962 film)[2]
- Paraaye Aag (film script written in 1971)
Death and legacy
He died on 17 October 2011 in Lahore, Pakistan after a long battle with cancer at age 87.[2] Hameed Akhtar's survivors are his wife, 3 daughters and 1 son including his TV actress daughter Saba Hameed. Saba Hameed first married Syed Pervaiz Shafi. They were later separated and divorced. They had two kids, a daughter, actress Meesha Shafi and a son, music performer Faris Shafi. She later married TV actor Waseem Abbas, with whom she had a son named Ali Abbas, also an actor.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 "Saba Hameed's Talented Family Tree – Reviewit.pk". reviewit.pk. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Obituary: Hameed Akhtar passes away – The Express Tribune newspaper". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Hameed Akhtar passes away". www.dawn.com. Dawn newspaper. 18 October 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2016.