Renowned academician, historian Dr Mehdi Hassan passes away

Along with his long teaching career, the academician served as chairperson of HRCP

LAHORE:

Renowned academician, journalist and media historian Dr Mehdi Hassan, Sitara-i-Imtiaz, passed away after a protracted illness on Wednesday.

He was 85. He is survived by a widow and two sons.

Dr Mehhdi Hassan was a Pakistani left-wing journalist, media historian, Dean of Journalism and Mass communication at the Beaconhouse National University and a Professor of Mass Communication at the Punjab University.

His teaching career spanned over 50 years. He served as chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). He was one of Pakistan's prominent communication experts with a specialization in political analysis. Being one of the few media historians of Pakistan, Dr Mehdi Hasan was a regular commentator and panellist for television news shows and radio programmes.

Dr Mehdi Hassan authored many books on history, journalism, mass communication and political parties. His book 'The Political History of Pakistan' is a widely used reference by journalists and producers.

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Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar condoled the death of eminent educationist, intellectual and writer Prof Dr Mehdi Hassan. In a condolence message, the CM extended sympathies to the bereaved heirs and paid tributes to the educational and journalistic contributions of Dr Mehdi Hassan. He rendered invaluable services in journalism and education sectors as journalism had been deprived of a maestro with his departure, the CM said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24^th, 2022.