Renowned playwright Dr Enver Sajjad passes away in Lahore

84-year-old had written several plays for PTV and acted in quite a few of them as well

LAHORE: Acclaimed playwright and fiction writer Dr Enver Sajjad passed away in Lahore on Thursday evening. He spent his final hours at his residence on Raiwind Lahore and breathed his last after a prolonged illness.

Sajjad was not only known for an impeccable command on short-story writing and fiction at large but he was an incredibly talented voice-over artist, teacher and a mentor to several leading names in the industry.

His notable works of published fiction include masterpieces such as Chauraha, Janam Roop, Khushiyon Ka Baagh and Neeli Notebook. A medical doctor by profession, Sajjad always had a knack for not just writing but performing arts at large. He wrote a number of critically acclaimed plays for Pakistan Television including Picnic, Raat ka Pichla Pehar, Koyal and Yeh Zameen Meri Hai to name a few.

He was also a fine actor who starred in a number of PTV productions and was also nominated for a PTV award for his performance in drama serial Saba aur Samandar. Sajjad was also an active member of the Lahore circle of literary figures and artists and also chaired the Pakistan Arts Council Lahore, at one point in his career.

After the privatisation of media in Pakistan, Sajjad became associated with a private channel where he was the head of the scriptwriting department. He not only wrote some incredible scripts but also gave voice-overs to numerous successful projects.

In the years before death, Sajjad also oversaw the scriptwriting department at the National Academy of Performing Arts, which he left due to illness and unresolved grievances.

Born in 1935 in Lahore, Sajjad completed his higher studies in medicine from King Edward Medical College before heading out to the Univerisity of Liverpool for a Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

The 84-year-old is survived by his widow and a daughter.

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