Dawn’s senior sports reporter Khalid H. Khan passed away in Karachi on Tuesday. He was 58.
Khan suffered cranial hemorrhage and remained under treatment at a hospital for two weeks before breathing his last. He leaves behind four daughters.
Khan was known among cricketing circles for his diligent coverage of Pakistan’s domestic circuit, with his last byline being "Draws dominate Quaid Trophy again published on Nov 8."
Tributes poured in for the late journalist, with former captain Rashid Latif saying: "He was an extremely nice person and a hardworking reporter. I've seen very few people work with his level of sincerity. My prayers are with him and his family."
The Employees Union Dawn Islamabad (EUDI) also expressed condolences over Khan's demise.
In a statement, EUDI President Mubarak Zeb Khan and General Secretary Asad Malik expressed shock over the journalist's death, recalling him as an "iconic figure in sports journalism and promoter of unity among the journalist community".
They said Khan had earned a name because of his balanced and in-depth knowledge of his area of specialisation in sports journalism. “His services for sports journalism and the journalists community in daily Dawn will be remembered for all times to come,” they added.
Dawn News anchor Abdul Ghaffar said that Khan's claim to fame was his extensive coverage of domestic cricket. He used to write lengthy pieces on Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches and was very popular among cricketers.
"A number of former cricketers have said about him that back when TV media was not as advanced, having your name in his (Khalid H. Khan's) reports were a way of being noticed by selectors."
Former Pakistan captain and star all-rounder Shahid Afridi remembered Khan as "a gentle soul and a wonderful journalist who always supported domestic cricket and performers".
Opening batsman Shan Masood called Khan "one of our biggest sporting journalism assets".
Senior report Shahid Hashmi recalled how Khan inspired him to join English journalism.
Former Test cricket Atiq-uz-Zaman called Khan "one of the [most] popular media figures in cricket industry".
TV reporter Faizan Lakhani said Khan was an "encyclopaedia of Pakistan’s domestic cricket and darling of press box".