TANK: Veteran journalist and patron-in-chief of the Tank Press Club, Dr Muhammad Rafiq Arain, passed away after prolonged illness on Saturday. He was about 90.

Dr Arain had remained associated with Nawa-i-Waqt Islamabad for more than five decades and was regarded as one of the pioneering figures of journalism in Tank district. He had been under treatment at Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dera Ismail Khan before his death.

Funeral prayers were first offered in Dera Ismail Khan Cantonment and later at a mosque in Langer Bai area of Tank, where a large number of journalists, political leaders, social figures, government officials and local residents attended to pay their last respects.

He is survived by two sons. His younger son, Dr Abrar Ahmed, serves as a dental officer in the Pakistan Army, while his elder son, Iftikhar Ahmed, is a teacher in the education department. Dr Arain was a founding member of the Tank Union of Journalists and played a significant role in the development of professional journalism in the district.

Colleagues remembered him as a principled and dedicated journalist who mentored generations of young reporters and was widely respected for his knowledge of the region’s political, social and historical affairs.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2026