Farewell Arif sb

It was a shock as a reader to find out that Mr Arif Nizami had passed away on the first day of Eid. The country was already reeling from the gruesome murder in Islamabad which has made many wonder where the national conscience is. To find out that Arif Nizami is no longer among us makes one feel rather hopeless. As a consumer of news, I have been reading his publications for years – first The Nation and now Pakistan Today as well. One could trust Mr Nizami’s edited papers to always be factual and to be honest in what news they chose to cover. On numerous occasions, whether it was something like the dismissal of Benazir Bhutto’s first government or the news of Imran Khan’s marriage, one always knew if he was backing a piece of breaking news it was bound to be true.
Nizami started his career as a reporter in his father Hameed Nizami’s Urdu language daily, Nawa-i-Waqt. After his father’s death, Nizami continued to work at Nawa-i-Waqt as executive editor up until 1985 when he founded the English daily The Nation. During his time as editor of The Nation, Nizami trained and supported some of the major names in Pakistan’s journalism today. As an editor, he has been remembered as a staunch defender of his reporters and staff who would stand in support of his team no matter who was on the other side.
With him, a very particular brand of old school journalism has gone. He will be dearly missed, by his friends, family and colleagues – but also by his readers who remain grateful.
Sohail Khan
Lahore