KARACHI, Aug 5: Quresh Pur, the host of Kasauti, arguably the most popular quiz show in the history of Pakistani television, passed away here on Monday afternoon after a protracted illness.

He was 81.

Quresh Pur was born in Bhopal, India. He did his graduation from India and migrated to Pakistan.

A scholar in his own right, Quresh Pur worked for Radio Pakistan’s external service department before joining Pakistan Television in the early 1970s as controller presentation. He worked for the department for two decades and retired as its head in 1992.

Quresh Pur also hosted Sheeshe Ka Ghar and Zauq-i-Agahi, but it was Kasauti that had an indelible impression on the viewers’ minds.

He was a voracious reader.

He had command over Urdu, Persian and Arabic languages and was well-versed in Urdu, Persian, English, French and Russian literature.

Kasauti had two permanent members as experts, Iftikhar Arif and the late Obaidullah Baig. Each episode had four to five guests who would think of either a famous personality or a historic place and tell the audience and viewers about it except the two experts who would then try and figure out the personality or historic place by asking a maximum of 20 questions.

Quresh Pur facilitated both the guests and permanent members of the show, as often the guests, and sometimes the experts themselves, did not have adequate information.

Quresh Pur’s funeral prayer was held after Maghrib prayers and he was laid to rest in the Paposh Nagar graveyard.