WASHINGTON: Khalid Ali, a veteran journalist and a senior information official, died in Northern Virginia. He was 101.

His funeral was held on Tuesday at Adams Center, Virginia, his neighborhood mosque. A graduate from Aligarh Muslim University, Khalid Ali joined Dawn, Delhi as a reporter in 1945.

After a brief stint in Dawn, Karachi, after Parti­tion, he joined the press information department of the government of Pakistan and retired as director general of external publicity.

He also served as a press counsellor at Pakistan UN Mission in New York 1972-74.

After retirement, he settled in Northern Virginia. He and a former PTV journalist Zubair Ali were the grandsons of the legendary freedom fighters Maulana Mohammad Ali and Shau­k­­at Ali. He also wrote a book about the two freedom fighters, throwing light on the Khilafat movement from the family perspective.

Khalid Ali celebrated his 101st birthday in September 2022. He was the last surviving journalist who served Dawn Delhi before the birth of Pakistan. The family has arranged Qul for him at Adams Cen­ter, 46903 Sugarland Rd, Ste­­rl­ing, VA, on Nov 30 after Ma­­ghrib prayers.

Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2022