A large number of journalists, columnists, and editors hailing from leading newspapers paid tribute to one of the most respected figures of Pakistani journalism, the late Hameed Nizami, in a ceremony held at Aiwan-e-Iqbal to mark his 55th death anniversary here on Saturday.
The speakers showed great reverence for Hameed Nizami and highlighted his journalistic ethics, terming him an essential component of the Pakistan movement. Nizami was the founder of the Punjab Muslim Students Federation wing of the Muslim League and the newspaper Nawa-e-Waqt, both of which played an important role in the freedom movement.
Speaking on the occasion, renowned journalist Hamid Mir said that it was quite easy to talk about Hameed Nizami but really difficult to follow in his footsteps. “We do not tolerate differences of opinion these days with an open heart but Hameed Nizami set a great precedent for us by respecting those who were against his ideology,” Mir said.
“Hameed Nizami even wrote editorials in the support of poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz when Faiz was imprisoned in 1951 in the ‘Rawalpindi conspiracy case’ despite the fact that Nizami was against communism and Faiz was a staunch communist. Faiz too expressed his gratitude for Nizami’s defence in one of his interviews. Today it is said that journalists must be neutral and their analysis unbiased, but I cannot agree to that after reading about the life and work of Hameed Nizami,” he said.
Columnist Sajjad Mir remarked that the study of Nizami’s life was not just the study of a single individual but an in-depth reading of history and a movement. “One can understand the true struggle for Pakistan and its ideology by reading the editorials written by him,” he said.
Pakistan Today Editor and Aiwan-e-Iqbal Chairman Arif Nizami said that Hameed Nizami wanted a democratic Pakistan with the army having nothing to do with ruling the country. “During Hameed Nizami’s time, the standard for a journalist used to be how freely they wrote, but today, the standard has changed to which politician or army officer they know,” Arif Nizami said.
He added that journalism had changed after electronic media and was of the view that electronic media was less credible than print because of the absence of editorial checks.
Chief guest on the occasion and Daily Khabrain Editor Zia Shahid said that the institution of the editor had faded away and become a bureaucrat’s office without open access. “Hameed Nizami was a pioneer of resistance journalism even after the creation of Pakistan. He never budged from his stance, no matter what.” Zia Shaid said. The chief guest also urged Arif Nizami to publish a new edition of Nishan-e-Manzil, a book written on Hameed Nizami by Nizami’s wife.
Daily Pakistan Editor Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Shami, who was presiding over the event, said that Hameed Nizami had given the three characteristics of an ideal journalist through his own example. “A journalist must be honest, knowledgeable, and well-informed,” he said. “The editorials written by Hameed Nizami were very logical and he kept them short to keep his readers’ interest intact,” Shami said. Shami agreed with Arif Nizami and said that Hameed Nizami had wanted that the country’s institutions to function under and according to the constitution.
Mian Afzal Hayat, Irshad Ahmed Arif, Sohail Warraich, Iftikhar Ahmed, Jamil Athar, and a large number of students were also present on the occasion.
