Eminent broadcaster Agha Nasir is no more

Pioneer of broadcasting industry in Pakistan was laid to rest in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Broadcaster, producer, playwright and writer Agha Nasir, who was a living encyclopedia of the broadcasting history of this country, passed away on Tuesday morning at the age of 79.

“He was unwell mainly because of old age and weakness. His condition deteriorated at midnight and he left us for his eternal abode at around 5am,” said Huma Khawar, Nasir’s eldest daughter.



He is survived by his wife Sobia Agha, son Agha Bilal and two daughters – Huma and Shumaila. Nasir was laid to rest at the H-11 graveyard and a large number of people attended his funeral.

The untiring and amiable septuagenarian, Nasir was one of the pioneers of the country’s broadcasting industry, with which his association spanned over half a century. He was working for a private television channel in an oversight role until his last days.

Born in 1937, Agha Nasir graduated from the Karachi University. Prior to formally joining radio in 1956, he was already writing plays for radio. And before moving over to television he had around ten years of broadcasting experience under his belt. He was part of the team that launched Pakistan Television (PTV).

Unlike many, he successfully transitioned from radio to television. From being a programme producer to director programmes to general manager to the managing director, Nasir went from strength to strength during his career at the PTV.



Syeda  Abida Hussain in her book ‘Power Failure’ writes that Agha Nasir was the “most outstanding professional of his time and upon becoming the interim minister for Information in 1996, she appointed him as PTV managing director.”

At intervals, he also served the Pakistan National Council of the Arts as director general and the [now defunct] National Film Development Corporation (Nafdec) as managing director.

He wrote and produced a number of popular plays, including the unforgettable ‘Alif Noon’ and ‘Taleem-e-Baalighan’. In recognition of his services to the broadcast industry, he was awarded Pride of Performance Award in 1994 and Sitara-e-Imtiaz in 2012.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 13^th, 2016.