ISLAMABAD: Veteran journalist Muhammad Zia ud-Din passed away in Islamabad on Monday following a prolonged illness, state broadcaster Pakistan Television confirmed. He was 83.
Born in 1938 in Madras (now Chennai) city of British India, Din along with his family had migrated to East Pakistan following partition and had studied BSc in Pharmacy at the Dhaka University.
In 1960, he moved to West Pakistan and three years later, enrolled in Karachi University to study journalism.
In 1964, he joined the Pakistan Press International (PPI) — then Pakistan Press Agency (PPA) — as a cub reporter.
Later, he joined Dawn, serving as a resident editor for Islamabad and Lahore. He was also the newspaper’s correspondent in London between 2006 and 2009.
He also served in The News and now-defunct The Muslim, and remained associated with Express Tribune — which started in 2010 — as its first managing editor until 2014 when he resigned from the position to work as a freelance journalist.
Among his other experience in the field, he served as the assistant secretary general for the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and later on, as the president of the South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA) from 2002 to 2006.
PTV paid homage to the deceased for his “illustrious career” that spanned 60 years.
Senior journalist Muhammad Ziauddin has passed away in Islamabad after prolonged illness. He was 83 years old. In his illustrious career spanning 60 years Ziauddin Saheb wrote extensively for all leading newspapers of Pakistan including @thenews_intl @dawn_com & others. pic.twitter.com/Y0E6svZtah
— PTV News (@PTVNewsOfficial) November 29, 2021
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said Din was one of the most “capable [and] fiercely independent journalist[s]” he had encountered.
One of the most capable fiercely independent journalist I came across with has left for his final abode #Ziauddin was no commoner a wise man—integrity and boldness added to his personality… you will be missed Zia sb… RIP
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) November 29, 2021
