Aslam Azhar

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Aslam Azhar (2 September 1932 – 29 December 2015) was a Pakistani television executive and is often called the founding father of Pakistan Television. He became the first Chairman and Managing Director of the Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) when the Lahore center began broadcasting in November 1964.

Born in Lahore to a government servant, Azhar studied law at Cambridge University, worked for the Burmah Oil Company, and had an interest in theatre. He met his wife Nasreen Jan through a theatre group. The government asked him to come from Karachi to Lahore to start the television service. He recruited writers Ashfaq Ahmed and Anwar Sajjad to write for TV and befriended poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz. He helped create a vibrant TV culture in its early days, emphasizing commitment and culture.

Awards and roles: Tamgha-i-Pakistan (1968) for his pioneering work in television. In 1988 he became the first PTV chairman who was not a bureaucrat. He received the Nigar Award (1999) and Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence) in 2012.

Personal life and death: He died on 29 December 2015 in Islamabad; his funeral was on 30 December. He was survived by his wife Nasreen Azhar, two sons Usama and Arieb (a musician), and a daughter Umaima.