Z. A. Suleri Passes Away

 Z. A. Suleri Passes Away

Z. A. Suleri, one of Pakistan’s most senior journalists with a career that stretched across fifty years, passed away on Wednesday night. He was 86. He died of heart failure in a local hospital where he had been taken for treatment. He had been battling cancer and heart disease for some time.

At the time of his death, he was serving as the senior editor of The News.

Suleri often described himself as a devoted supporter of the Pakistan Movement. He worked with Quaid i Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and later wrote My Leader, a book about the Founder of the Nation. The Quaid also wrote him a letter of appreciation, something Suleri valued deeply.

Before partition, he worked as assistant editor at Dawn. After the creation of Pakistan in 1947, he joined The Pakistan Times as its London correspondent. He later returned home and started his own newspaper, The Times of Karachi, which soon became known for its lively political coverage. He also tried to launch Evening Time from Lahore. The paper struggled because readers in the city were used to afternoon editions.

In 1965, during the war with India, Suleri briefly served as director general of ISPR. During the Ayub era, he became editor of The Pakistan Times. He held that position until December 1971 when he was removed by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

He continued writing and became a widely read columnist for The Pakistan Times and Nawa i Waqt. After martial law was imposed in 1977, General Zia appointed him chief editor of The Pakistan Times. He later served as additional secretary in the information ministry for a short period.

In 1992, he joined The News as senior editor, a role he kept until his final days.

Source: Dawn
Date: April 22, 1999