VETERAN journalist Abdul Majid Khan who passed away in Karachi on Thursday night after a long illness was perhaps the last man of the team of old guards whose stories dominated the Dawn sports pages for many years.

I had known Majid sahib (as he was commonly called) for over four decades as he was not only a senior member of the profession but also an integral part of many activities of the Karachi Press Club, ranging from annual elections to volleyball matches which were once played in the backyard of the premises before the area was converted into parking zone. Reportedly he was a good player of volleyball before he joined journalism.

The name of Majid often caused a great deal of mix-up in sports circles as there happened to his namesake in the cricketers line-up.

In a comedy of errors the two names generated some stories of confusion during Pakistan cricket team’s tour of India in 1978-79 where journalist Majid was covering the series for his newspaper while the other was sought by media and public both.

As a person and journalist, Majid belonged to old school. Loyal, selfless and dependable who led a simple and an unpretentious life never falling for any dubious professional compromise. He grew up under under the wings of late Haleem Ahmed, the former sports in-charge of Dawn, and Anwar Husain — the two outstanding personalities in the world of sports journalism.

Majid covered almost all the disciplines but he excelled in squash where he also enjoyed close proximity with almost all the leading players including legendary Jahangir Khan and his illustrious father late Roshan Khan.

In his writings, Majid proved himself a perfect scribe with his unbiased reporting and complete understanding of twists and turns of the game. His authority on the subject enabled him to draw the attention of Rex Bellamy who acknowledged his contribution for promoting squash in Pakistan in his famous book History of Squash.

Majid will be remembered in sports and journalistic fraternity with a great deal of nostalgia.

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2018