KARACHI, Sept 4: Veteran journalist Lateef Jafri was found dead in his Gulistan-i-Jauhar residence on Monday. He was 74. Mr Jafri’s relatives said he had been living alone because his wife was with his Canada-based son. His daughter lived in the United Arab Emirates.

A diabetic patient, Mr Jafri is believed to have died of either a heart attack or a brain haemorrhage.

His body was found when his colleagues at the Business Recorder, worried about his uncharacteristic two-day absence, went to his place to enquire after his health.

Born in Allahabad, India, in 1932, Mr Jafri started his journalistic career with a stint at the Sindh Observer in the early 1950s. He occasionally covered the sports beat.

Mr Jafri joined Dawn in 1953 as sports correspondent. He moved to the Pakistan Standard two years later and headed the newspaper’s sports section. He subsequently rejoined Dawn and worked in the newsroom, but his sports columns appeared regularly. He headed Dawn’s sports section from 1990 to 1998, when he retired as Assistant Editor.

His book on “The History of Pakistan Test Cricket” came out in 2001. He wrote another book containing pen-portraits of Pakistan’s legendary sportsmen.

According to the relatives, Mr Jafri’s Namaz-i-Janaza will be offered at Masjid Umar Farooq, Long Life Bungalows, Block 17, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, after the Asr prayers. He will be buried in the Gulistan-i-Jauhar graveyard.—APP