WASHINGTON: Acclaimed Pakistani journalist and former Washington correspondent of the Associated Press of Pakistan Afzal Khan passed away in Virginia on Thursday morning.
The veteran journalist was suffering from cardiac complications and was under treatment at a hospital in Virginia, outside of Washington DC.
Khan was a prominent Pakistani journalist and an influential voice in journalistic circles.
Born in Sialkot, Khan began his journalistic career with Imroze in Multan. During his distinguished career, he served as the executive director of the Associated Press of Pakistan at the news organization’s headquarters in Islamabad.
Working alongside M Aftab, the APP director general in the 1990s, he helped modernise the country’s premier organisation.
Working out of Islamabad and Washington, Khan witnessed and reported on some of the tumultuous periods and development in Pakistan and US-Pakistan relations.
He also worked as a correspondent for the Khaleej Times.
Khan stood strongly for journalists’ rights and served as secretary general of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ). He was also one of the founders of the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA).
With a deep resounding voice, Khan was a prominent presence in Pakistani-American circles and covered important developments during his assignment as Washington correspondent for APP in the 1990s.