Courier NewLahore and Aaj News held a reference for their founder Editor-in-Chief and Patron-in-Chief M A Zuberi. Wamiq Zuberi, the successor Editor-in-Chief and Chief Executive of the Group, presided over the reference which was also addressed by Pervaiz Malik, MNA and former Finance Secretary PML (N), Arif Nizami, Editor, Pakistan Today and veteran journalist Professor Azizuddin Ahmad.
Paying glowing tributes to late M A Zuberi, Pervez Malik said the business community and leadership of Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Pakistan Muslim League (N), had always benefited from the original economic ideas of late Zuberi Sahib, besides Business Recorder's editorials and analysis also served as guidance for the entrepreneurs.
Malik said Courier New is a very respected economic newspaper and an authentic voice of the business community. "M A Zuberi was a great patriot, a true follower of Quaid-e-Azam, an upright and professional journalist an administrator and entrepreneur par excellence. He said M A Zuberi has given two great institutions to Pakistan - Courier Newand Aaj News, which will keep his memory alive till eternity.
Speaking on the occasion Pakistan Today Editor Arif Nizami said with the death of M A Zuberi an era in journalism has come to an end. Both Zuberi Sahib and his late father Hameed Nizami, founder Editor Nawa-e-Waqt had entered journalism profession on the direct bidding of the father of the nation Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
M A Zuberi was the pillar of journalism and the last link with the great journalists who had worked actively for the Pakistan movement side by side with the father of the nation and struggled for Pakistan's survival during its formative years, Nizami added.
Nizami recalled his long association with his father's ideological and party comrade, which went back to 1976 when he met Zuberi Sahib first time in Rawalpindi at an international conference on Quaid-e-Azam. Arif Nizami said Zuberi Sahib was President of the Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editor when he was Secretary General of the CPNE. He said he was very cultured and a man of words who undauntedly worked for the institution of free press in order to strengthen the democratic process in the country.
He said like Hameed Nizami, Zuberi Sahib also started the country's first-ever English language trade and finance daily with meagre resources. With the blessings of Almighty Allah, late Zuberi Sahib turned Courier Newand Aaj News into powerful and respected media powers.
Arif Nizami also paid glowing tributes to M A Zuberi for transferring his mantle and heritage to his three sons - Wamiq Zuberi, Arshad Zuberi and Asif Zuberi - who undoubtedly proved to be the worthy sons of a great father, a great journalist and equally a professional and successful entrepreneur." It was a very present surprise for me to see these three brothers living as one family in these times of greed when I visited their residence to offer my condolence, Nizami added.
He said following in the footsteps of his father late Hameed Nizami and M A Zuberi he has also launched his English newspaper Pakistan Today with meagre resources and hoped his venture would succeed. Veteran journalist and intellectual Professor Azizuddin Ahmad also paid rich tributes to late M A Zuberi saying that he had a chance to travel with founder Editor-In-Chief of Courier Newduring late Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's visit to Germany in 1990s. He found him a very cultured and committed journalists.
Wamiq Zuberi, eldest son of late MA Zuberi narrated his fond memories and teachings of his father saying that he was our mentor, inspiration and guide in all matters of life, social, cultural, intellectual, professional, administrative and as a Pakistani.
He said among other things, his father taught to his children that: (a) whatsoever you do in life or adopt any profession, do it with passion otherwise you are just marking your time. If you are in the profession of journalism, then you are a journalist round-the-clock, everywhere, in office, at home or wherever you are, you are thinking or working as a journalist. You are first and last a journalist notwithstanding whether one is proprietor or an employee, all should work for the institution/newspaper as a team and one body.
(b) There is a price/cost of every thing. If you are a journalist you should be ready to pay the cost of being a journalist. Every right has some obligations. To elaborate his point, Wamiq narrated a family story. He said when Nawaz Sharif government allowed Pakistani citizens to have foreign currency accounts, his family also opened a dollar currency account and deposited the money in dollars that it had saved to build a family house. However in November 1997, due to disturbing political situation and tussle between the then prime minister and former Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah and flight of foreign capital from Pakistan, he had come to the conclusion that the government would soon freeze the dollar accounts as some other governments had done in similar situations.
Wamiq said he requested his father to close the account or transfer the dollars in the account of his daughter who was living in the US. However, Zuberi Sahib flatly refused to do so saying we have earned these dollars in Pakistan. This money cannot be transferred or shifted to any other country. He preferred to let the family dollar account be frozen and suffer financial losses rather than shifting it abroad. Zuberi sahib had no regrets when the foreign accounts were frozen in May 1998.
He assured that descendent of M A Zuberi will always uphold principles of founder Editor-in-Chief of Courier Newand Patron-in-Chief of Aaj News since it would be right manner of paying homage to their forefathers. He was such a proprietor of a newspaper who never attended any function of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society, which is a body of the owners/proprietors. Earlier, at the reference Hamid Walid on behalf of workers of Courier Newand Aaj News read out a joint statement to pay homage to M A Zuberi.
The statement said: "M A Zuberi joined Dawn in New Delhi prior to Independence on the directions of father of the nation and worked under the guidance of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Late M A Zuberi had been an exceptional personality in the media whose death left a void, which could not be filled easily. Mr Zuberi was towering personality both figuratively and literally and he was a source of inspiration for his colleagues.
The statement recalled that it was Mr Zuberi's unique honour to help launch the paper's Karachi edition on Independence Day. He considered employees of Business Recorder and Aaj News as his colleagues and partners in the success of his ventures."
At the reference it was suggested that the educational institutions and universities should arrange PhDs research papers with regard to M A Zuberi's contribution to the Pakistan Movement and development of economic journalism in Pakistan, with particular reference to his editorials in the Daily Dawn to protect freedom of press and democracy in Pakistan. Fateh was offered for the departed soul at the end of the reference.
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