KARACHI: Former general manager of PTV Karachi centre and author Burhanuddin Hasan passed away here on Sunday. He was 86.

He leaves behind his wife, a son and two daughters.

Mr Hasan was born in 1930 in the princely state of Rampur, India. After partition, his family shifted to Lahore. He did his graduation from the Government College of Lahore after which he went to Washington to join the Voice of America. He worked there for five years.

On return from Washington, Mr Hasan began working for Radio Pakistan Karachi. In 1967 he joined PTV Karachi as news editor. He served PTV in many capacities, including as general manager in Karachi, controller of news, director of news, general manager in Islamabad and director of administration and personnel. He retired in 1992, and later joined a private television channel.

Mr Hasan was also the author of three books –– Uncensored, The Breaking Point and Gems from the Holy Quran –– and penned columns for English and Urdu dailies. According to his daughter, Gulrukh, he wrote more than 250 columns. He was a man of letters whose circle of friends included celebrated poets and writers, Mustafa Zaidi and Mashoor Ashar being two of them.

His funeral prayers were held after Asr at the Aksari III mosque and he was buried in the PECHS (Tariq Road) graveyard on Monday evening.

Published in Dawn November 29th, 2016