KARACHI: Mohammad Baqir Naqvi, a senior journalist and human rights activist, died at a hospital here on Saturday afternoon. He was 81. He left behind his wife, two sons and a daughter.

He had been facing cardiac problems for a long time, but his health was stable. After he complained of pain and congestion on Thursday, his wife took him to the National Institute of Cardio-vascular Diseases, where doctors advised hospitalisation.

His condition suddenly deteriorated on Saturday morning and he died in the afternoon.

Born in Amroha (India) in 1928, M.B. Naqvi, as he was popularly known, got his education there. After migrating to Pakistan, he took up journalism, joining Indus Times (Hyderabad). After some time, he joined Dawn.

Then he moved to Rawalpindi and joined Radio Pakistan.  After return from Rawalpindi to Karachi, he again started writing for Dawn and later wrote for The News. He was also a contributor to Herald, a monthly magazine.

For the past few years he was busy writing a book on the country’s nuclear programme and foreign policy. The work remains unfinished.

A number of foreign publications used to solicit his articles. Among them were Daily Star (Bangladesh), Deccan Herald (India), Gulf News (UAE).

M.B. Naqvi was an untiring human rights activist and consistently highlighted injustice against women and other oppressed sections of society.

He had a long association with the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Aurat Foundation and similar forums.