ISLAMABAD: A number of people gathered at a playground in G-10/2 on Sunday to participate in a memorial reference for Aslam Azhar.

Azhar, a distinguished broadcaster and media personality, died on Dec 29, 2015 at the age of 83. 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.

At the memorial, former senior bureaucrat Roedad Khan talked about his relationship with Azhar after he was appointed PTV managing director in 1996.

“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.”

He said: “Election results from Chittagong to Sylhet, from Karachi to Peshawar were announced live, and a nonstop 48-hour transmission was held in an age when television opened in the evenings and closed at night,” he said.

Participants recall their time spent working alongside the renowned broadcaster

“We decided that everything will go without censoring, and our decision was implemented. It was the first ever experience in the whole region, as even Indian television did not have that kind of liberty. Representatives from BBC came to observe the election coverage by PTV and one official said, ‘Pakistan television has come of age’,” Mr Khan said.

He said that before the elections, he and Azhar proposed that 30 minutes of live coverage be given to the heads of all political parties, and implemented the decision.

“Leaders such as Khan Abdul Qayyum Khan, Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and others were given the opportunity to speak live. Sheikh Mujib insisted that he wanted to say ‘Bangladesh’ instead of ‘East Pakistan’, and he was allowed,” he said.

“We were in Dhaka, and I still remember that Aslam Azhar said he had a gut feeling that the next time we would have to get visas to come to Dhaka. He was a visionary person, and his words came true,” Mr Khan told Dawn.

Pervez Hoodbhoy, an educationist, said when Azhar became PTV managing director in 1979, Mr Hoodbhoy wrote him a letter asking that time be given to education rather than television dramas.

He said Azhar encouraged him to become an anchor and promote education on television. He said that when Nobel laureate Dr Abdus Salam visited Pakistan, Azhar advised Mr Hoodbhoy to interview Dr Salam, who had become a controversial figure in Pakistan.

“The interview was recorded and telecast,” Mr Hoodbhoy said.

Azhar’s wife, Nasreen Azhar, said she had spent 51 years with him.

“We were husband and wife, but the stronger bond between us was that we were good friends. He never compromised on principles. I believe that it will be very difficult to live without him, and another chapter of my life is going to start,” she said.

Azhar’s elder son, Osama Azhar, said his father never believed in saving money.

“My mother used to say that he was an impractical person, but it is a fact that because of his personality, whoever met him fell in love with him. He used to give respect even to youngsters.”

Azhar’s son Arieb Azhar said his father was a role model for the people and for his children.

“He never forced his decisions and always tried to make us understand through examples.”

Ziaur Rehman, a colleague, said Azhar believed that PTV was public service television, and that they should not become salespeople.

Nayyar Kamal, an artist, said she was chosen for a play 51 years ago, and Azhar told her the play would begin from next week.

“I said my sister’s wedding was being held next week so it would be difficult for me to come. Mr Azhar said, if you want to become an artist, forget all the things and focus only on your work,” she recalled.

Another artist, Nazir Mehmood, said Gen Ziaul Haq’s coup was good for him, because he got to learn from Azhar when he was sent to Karachi.

“I still remember that I visited Mr Azhar’s house, and I learnt that Mr Azhar had gone to the zoo with his cook, because his cook, Abdul Rehman, told him he hadn’t seen the zoo,” he said.

Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2016