KARACHI: Veteran TV actor Qazi Wajid passed away on Sunday in Karachi after being admitted to the hospital previous evening. He was 87.
According to a local news channel, the 87-year-old actor was admitted to a hospital after suffering heart palpitations late on Saturday night.
Fellow actor Javed Sheikh while speaking to the media said: “I just heard the news and I can barely believe it at the moment. This is a great loss for the industry as well as humanity.”
“There are so many memories associated with Qazi bhai, but the one thing I always admired about him was his dedication to the profession. When he was on set for a recording, the only thing in front of him was his script and he would not participate in any other banter during that time,” Sheikh mourned.
Born in 1930 in Gwalior, India, Wajid’s family, including five of his siblings – three brothers and two sisters – migrated to Pakistan after partition and settled in Karachi, where his father was allotted a quarter at Martin Road. He shifted to the USA for a brief period after completing his early education in Lahore.
Wajid remained a popular face on TV, after joining the industry in 1966 following his 25-year-stint as a pioneer in the radio industry. He spent nearly 48 years in the media industry fulfilling the roles of a radio artist and a TV, stage and film actor.
Some of his most renowned works include Pakistan Television (PTV) classics such as Dhoop Kinaray, Khuda Ki Basti and Tanhaiyan and most of all, Khuda ki Basti, the drama that put him on the map.
Wajid has also been awarded the Pride of Performance Award.
