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A tribute to Aslam Azhar — from Cherrypore to Tellypore

A tribute to Aslam Azhar — from Cherrypore to Tellypore

The man behind PTV made decisive contribution to bring TV to Pakistan, to find and nurture talent and skills.
10 Jan, 2016

The first time I saw Aslam Azhar was in a cinema commercial for Cherry Blossom shoe polish, in the early 1960s. He played the Maharajah of Cherrypore who alights from an aircraft to a horde of mikes and cameras. 

Question: “Your Highness, what is the secret of your shining shoes?” Beaming, the regal answer was: “Cherry Blossom!” From that tongue-in-cheek start in the public eye, this exceptional individual transformed himself over the next three decades from an advertising model into a role model for the leaders of Pakistani electronic media.

With integrity, intellect and innovation, he helped establish the new mass medium in Pakistan and has left a splendid legacy of values and vision. His wife Nasreen (they married in September 1964) remained a pillar of abundant love for him and their three charming children — Umaima, Osama and Areeb — and for Yasmeen, the daughter from his first marriage in Germany. He was a warm, caring human being, sensitive to, and respectful of others.

His pioneering contribution combined creative insights and management ability, artistic sensibility and technical proficiency. He articulated ideas with clarity and conviction, synthesising times past, times emerging, fusing east and west, north and south, in a seamless way.


Aslam Azhar’s journey from appearing in a TV ad to laying the foundation of television in Pakistan


Several of his colleagues, a few equally senior, most of them junior, too numerous to name in this space, worked closely as a team to explore new frontiers. One of Azhar’s most unusual qualities was his instinctive capacity to assess the potential of other people. This attribute was all the more notable because, often, the persons themselves had no awareness of their own potential nor had they even planned entry into television. His net was cast wide to cover many streams — make-up, set design, newsreaders, sportscasters, writers, actors, producers-directors. He also had the breadth of vision to repose full confidence in others and resist meddling.

State-owned media are subject to strict parameters for content. For the crucial first seven years (1964-1971) when the PTV was born and initially bred under the two military-led governments of Ayub Khan and Yahya Khan, Azhar was able to introduce, train and support a large number of individuals, both as full-time staff and as free-lance independents (including me) all of whom helped to continuously test and expand official limits — written and unwritten — in current affairs, drama, satirical comedy, quiz shows, arts and literature.

While news bulletins could not be liberated from the iron-grip of government-first-and-most, their formatting and presentation were continuously improved. The path-breaking election coverage of December 1970 and the interviews with leaders of all contesting political parties, albeit approved by the Ministry of Information, reflected many of his own imaginative, courageous efforts.

He commenced his journey with the pilot project in Lahore, on Nov 26, 1964, going on to serve both as GM, Rawalpindi Centre and the PTV Central Training Institute. He moved to Karachi in November 1967 to make it a hotbed of creativity, through to January 1972 to become Managing Director in Rawalpindi-Islamabad, 1972-76. Pakistan had begun to be spiritually and cerebrally re-built after the Eastern wing’s secession. The PTV and Radio Pakistan gave powerful voice and image to this historic process wherein Azhar was a driving force.

But as Z.A. Bhutto’s promising, dynamic direction derailed into despotism, he exited from his fondest institution at the end of 1976 to head a new entity known as the State Film Authority. Yet too soon came Ziaul Haq in July 1977 — to initiate unprecedented regression. Following quick removal, Aslam’s services were arbitrarily terminated in March 1978.

For the next 10 years, with grit and inimitable grin intact, he faced difficult times with dignity and determination. For some months and more, we made an ultimately futile attempt to obtain permission to launch a new media entity which would include an independent TV channel / radio service, somewhat like Don Quixote and Sancho Panza tilting at windmills.

The martial law regime must surely have thought we were cracking a sick joke if we dreamed of being permitted to establish independent electronic media when Ziaul Haq was at the helm. Aslam boldly returned, partly to theatre, with a group named Dastak with which he played the title role in Galileo by Bertolt Brecht, a perfect way to mock then-rising obscurantism. He evoked memories of his fine Hamlet from the early 1960s, also in Karachi.


One of Azhar’s most unusual qualities was his instinctive capacity to assess the potential of other people. This attribute was all the more notable because, often, the persons themselves had no awareness of their own potential nor had they even planned entry into television.


In January 1989, Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto fittingly re-united him with the PTV, now as Chairman, with the equivalent position in PBC as a bonus. There was plenty to do, to set aside the rot of the past decade, to revive the soul and to adjust to new realities. Part of that adjustment was mutually personal for both of us since he had introduced me to TV. So I became the minister of state for information and broadcasting (with the PM as minister) while he became subject to the ministry’s policy framework.

Fortuitously, even before he was appointed, an entirely new news coverage policy had already been introduced in December 1988 to PTV and PBC. For the first time, fairly balanced coverage was given on a daily basis to the opposition in news bulletins and capsule coverage of parliamentary speeches. He fully supported the change which, alas, lasted only up to April 1989 because the PM was prevailed upon by party die-hards to reverse the policy.

Yet in that very period, his return brought new programme ideas to the PTV with, for instance, the first pop music show titled Music 89 that presented refreshing new sounds (causing enough concern among mullahs so that I actually defended the show in parliament!). He also injected new vigour to PTV ranks, to the extent that it sometimes caused concerns to the ministry.

For in his sensitive empathy with staff and workers he would announce promises for financial benefits for which funding provision was insufficient. While I left the information ministry for another ministry a few months later, we shared, spoken and unspoken, a disquiet over how the government, already assailed by a hostile Punjab government and uneasy relations with the president and the army, was sinking into a morass of corruption and disconnectedness.

His fairly swift alienation from the misuse of state power became ironically apparent when, even during the second tenure of PM Benazir Bhutto (late 1993-96) he was not re-invited to PTV. We shared this growing gulf because this writer also resigned from PPP membership in 1996 as a protest against the blatant misuse of office for corrupt practices. The ironies thickened with time.

When, during General Pervez Musharraf’s tenure we were able to introduce private TV and radio channels for the first time, proliferation became a profligacy of content, degrading the medium even as it brought unprecedented freedom. I left the cabinet before the hysteria became an unceasing onslaught while Azhar stayed steadfastly, wisely away. Thoughtfully, ever-respectfully, Akhtar Waqar Azeem, a former MD, PTV, and M. Arshad, then MD, PTV invited Aslam to serve as Chairman of PTV’s internal viewing committee to monitor drama content quality. He was able to accept this low-profile, non-executive task without compromising his views.

Aslam Azhar’s final decade became as much an intensive re-union with one of his great passions — reading books of substance — as a retreat from times in which television has, for the most part, become a caricature of what his purist vision wanted the medium to be: primarily, public service broadcasting which offers a blend of information, education and entertainment, with decorum and balance.

Over the only 15-odd years out of the 51-year history of PTV in which he held leadership positions in the organisation, he made a decisive contribution to bring TV to Pakistan, to find and nurture talent and skills, to introduce new programme concepts, to define professional ethics and standards that have become benchmarks. He departed this life enriched with respect as the Maharaja of Tellypore. May he rest in peace. Amen.

The writer is a former senator and federal minister. www.javedjabbar.com

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, January 10th, 2016

Comments

Mahmud Sipra Jan 10, 2016 01:12pm
The Electronic media in Pakistan is poorer with the sad demise of Aslam Azhar...the man with the Golden Eye... Javed Jabbar is on target in his eulogy to him..."that he had the instinctive quality to asses the potential in other people...this attribute being all the more notable- because often -the persons themselves had no idea of their potential...." Like Javed Jabbar - I too-like countless others- have been the beneficiary of Aslam Azhar's "Golden Eye". That I never got around to expressing my gratitude to him in person- for this inestimable attribute and the spirit which he brought to PTV during its embryonic years...is something I will always lament. Few - very few people in Pakistan 's raucous media mine field- will be able to measure up to the legacy that Aslam Azhar and his "Golden Eye" leaves behind... Sadly that Golden Eye- associated- as it was with an industry that operates on the maxim that "the camera never blinks"...will blink no more. May his soul find eternal peace.
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Irfan Husain Jan 10, 2016 01:57pm
Apart from his great contribution to television in Pakistan, Aslam Azhar was, first and foremost, a great champion of the poor and the disadvantaged. The stage plays he was involved in all reflected his revolutionary ethos. RIP, old friend!
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Multinational Bhabi Jan 10, 2016 05:15pm
What a tribute. RIP Aslam Azhar
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Khwaja Shamsul Hasan Jan 10, 2016 05:52pm
Very well-written and accurate obituary of a remarkable and highly talented son of Pakistan. Only a person of Javed Jabbar's talent could have written such a beautiful peace. Both Aslam Azhar and Javed Jabbar contributed to the highly quality and very innovative programs of PTV's early days. Compare this to the trash that is broadcast today on so many channels. "Yeh Ibrat ki jaa hai, tamasha nahin hai! Not unlike my beloved city of Karachi. the media scene in Pakistan has been turned into a huge dump of garbage. Thank you Mr. Javed Jabbar for writing about a man who had such human qualities and such creative genius.
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Imran Ahmed Jan 10, 2016 07:12pm
I was only peripherally aware of Aslam Azhar when I was a young man when I was mostly working and living abroad. However, I have come to know and respect the man since then, from anecdotes and now from this obituary written by JJ. I have the good fortune to have met Aslam Azhar's son, Areeb, a charming man indeed and an exceptional singer who deserves more recognition.
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Khalid Ikram Jan 10, 2016 07:23pm
Many thanks, Javed, for this warm and generous tribute. It is as much a reflection of your own qualities as of Aslam's. I was fortunate to know Aslam and his brother Salim since the 1960s, and you have provided a fitting summing up of his contribution.
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siddiq karim Jan 10, 2016 07:57pm
it is encouraging to know that pakistan had and still have great people.
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Zak Jan 10, 2016 08:04pm
A man of great refinement and integrity. He took life's injustices with stoicism and charm. A true pakistani. He should be given a national award posthumously.
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zia Jan 10, 2016 08:55pm
May his soul rest in peace. A legendary figure for Pakistan media specially TV.
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Ahmed Qadri Jan 10, 2016 10:35pm
Javeed Jabbar Saheb, Assalaam Alaikum arz karta hun, originally from Hyderabad Deccan, I'm writing this from Zurich. Mashallah, you have written a marvellous article. Aslam Azhar Saheb used to be my idol, his beautiful English, the Cambridge accent was absolutely impeccable. His commentary of the Pickthall translation of the Quran shall always remain as a gem until the Qiyamah, Inshallah u Taala, and that’s precisely what he is remembered for all over the world. I did not know that Azhar Saheb had already left us. May Allah u Taala grant him a lofty place in Jannatul Firdaus, aameen, sum aameen!
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Asif Jan 11, 2016 12:19am
We are getting short of some wonderful people.
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Malik Jan 11, 2016 01:44am
I wonder why no one ever mentions that Aslam Azhar was associated with media even before PTV was launched. He was one of the main English newscasters for Radio Pakistan and for many years read the daily 7:45 PM national English news on the radio. Besides, he was also a partner of Omar Qureshi in English cricket commentaries that were broadcast on Radio Pakistan. He also read English translations of the Holy Quran with recognized Qaris as they recited the Quranic verses. If he had done nothing else in his life, his majestic readings of the English translations of the Holy Quran would be enough to annoint him for all times to come. He was a great artist himself before anything else. May God rest his soul in peace surrounded by His immense Mercy and Grace.
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SYED IMRAN ARIF Jan 11, 2016 02:06am
I first met Aslam Azhar in Islamabad in summer of 1973 at our home in F-7/4 when he was invited over dinner by my late father S. A. Arif who worked with him as Finance Director at the then PTV Headquarters on Tulsa Road in Rawalpindi. Quite a charming and warm personality. He was instrumental in upgrading to color transmission and installing re-broadcast stations so signal could reach remote locations in Pakistan. I still remember when he spoke English he spoke it with a distinct heavy British accent. May his soul rest in peace!
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Saif Jan 11, 2016 05:08am
How I wish we had more people like Aslam Azhar and Nur Khan in our midst heading different institutions. How different would have been Pakistan's present. RIP Mr. Aslam Azhar.
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Aga Khan Jan 11, 2016 06:43am
Simply outstanding tribute to a legend.
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Shahid Akbar, New York Jan 11, 2016 07:27am
A great write up. Allah ghareeq-e-rahmat farmaiey. (Ameen)
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manzoor a malik Jan 11, 2016 10:45am
In the capacity of an employee for eight years of Pakistan Television, I liked him not only as a good manger of PTV but also as a promoter of cricket in PTV which flourished in his tenure as a MD
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Naseem Altaf Jan 11, 2016 11:06am
Aslam Azhar was a jewel of a person . In this period of intellectual ,moral, and professional downturn in our nation , he was ,by contrast, an extremely valuable person in many respects. His qualities of mind & heart , his sensitivity , his " Ilm-o- Fazal" always reassured one about our society's richness , even now. May Allah SWT bless his soul and give Pakistan more of his kind.
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MAH Jan 11, 2016 11:29am
Indeed a man who brought real change to our lives. I still find the PTV of my childhood and teens as the best TV channel that used to have a nice selection of kids' shows, documentaries, English movies and music. It used to have the finesse that comes with educated and creative people behind. Uff we were not yet bombarded with the drama mania! Thank you Mr. Jabbar for sharing a factual account of the political influence on our TV - neither soapy and exaggerated nor unfair criticism. It would be really good to read more of our past that somehow people find very difficult to recount in a balanced way.
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M Y Qureshi Jan 11, 2016 12:59pm
As a young entrant to GCU in 1957 I had the honour of a brief encounter with this great person. It was a House of Commons style debate in the main hall. AA was the Leader of the House. The topic was something like "Bachelors alone are happy". Somehow I got selected to speak for the motion from the Young Speakers side. All went well till the time I delivered my prepared speech. Come the question-answer time and I felt my legs shaking. One particular difficult question non-plussed me totally. " Sir, what about those who are engaged". The whole house went laughing and I wished I had not been there.. In comes a prompt from AA. "They can jump from the wall and kill themselves ". I repeated that on the mike and there was a big uproar in the house. A small event that I could not forget.
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Nasrin Siddiqi Jan 11, 2016 03:13pm
Had great respect for Aslam sir . He was my first boss at the TV station in pindi when i returned from UK after studing TV production & direction in 1967. He was so polite & helpful .May his soul rest in peace
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Javed Ansari Jan 11, 2016 05:28pm
Javed Jabbar encapsulates the many facets of Aslam Azhar's personality. He was the man behind the peaks that PTV touched. Too bad, Pakistan's successive rulers turned this outstanding institution into a shambles and did not value people like Aslam Azhar, Nur Khan and Javed Jabbar.
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Aban Usmani Jan 12, 2016 12:14am
Javed Jabbar Sb if I am not wrong I have heard a lot about Aslam Azhar Sb from my dad (Mohammad Ali Usmani). I believe Aslam Azhar was my dad's senior at Government College Lahore and GCDC was one of the first platforms where his creativity had been allowed to blossom. My father though remained with teaching for the best part of his professional carreer at Aitchison College, Lahore did also work with Aslam Azhar Sb during the early days of PTV
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Siri Jan 12, 2016 06:26am
The man behind the golden age of Pakistan's media history and culture!
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Said Azhar Jan 13, 2016 08:38am
What a rich and well deserved tribute from a person who knows what he is saying. 
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