LAHORE: Legendary broadcaster and actor Yasmin Tahir passed away in Lahore on Saturday. She was 88.

The funeral prayers for her will be held at her Model Town residence on Sunday (today).

Yashmi was a household name through her radio programmes and she was the voice of millions of hearts. She was born in Lahore in 1937. She was educated at the Convent as well as Kinnaird College. She stepped into theatre acting right from her college days while being associated with the Government College Dramatic Club. She joined Radio Pakistan as a child and joined the radio formally after doing her MA in 1958 as a publicity officer and the move swung open to her new vistas of broadcasting.

Yasmin belonged to a highly educated and literary family. Her father Imtiaz Ali Taj is considered the founder of Urdu drama, whose famous play Anarkali still holds a prominent place in classical literature. Her mother, Hijab Imtiaz Ali, was not only a fiction writer but also had the honor of being the first Muslim woman pilot in the subcontinent.

In 1960, Yasmin Tahir married film, television, stage and theatre actor Naeem Tahir. She was the mother of renowned artists Farhan, Mehran, and Ali Tahir.

Since she had a novel approach towards broadcasting and radio programming, she introduced western music to the Radio Pakistan she hosted a programme, Western Music Show. One of her most popular radio programnmes was the morning show, Saat Rang, which lasted for 12 years. There were millions of eager listeners out there who didn’t want to miss even a single show of Saat Rang because of Yasmin and her unique vocal expression.

During the Indo-Pak war of 1965 Yasmin hosted, Fauji Bhaion Ka Programme. She also did programmes for Voice of America and BBC, as well.

Yasmin also acted in several Urdu dramas and played many memorable roles in radio theatre. She did theatre and translated and acted in many English plays into Urdu along with Naeem Tahir.

Yasmin was honored with several awards. She hosted another popular morning programme called Subah Savere. Her broadcasting career spanned over 37 years, during which she acted on plays, hosted talk shows and participated in other programmes. She retired from Radio Pakistan. Yasmin was awarded the Sitara-e-Imtiaz in 2015.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2025