Hameed Nizami

Background

Hameed Nizami was born in the remote railway junction located in Sangla Hill, few miles far from the vintage Lyallpur (now Faisalabad), Punjab, British Indian Empire, on 3 October 1915.

Education

He hailed from a Punjabi family and initially studied at the local school in Faisalabad at his own expense. He attended the Islamia College where he gained Bachelor in Journalism.

Career

He earned national prominence for penning several political articles and opinionated columns in support of successful Pakistan Movement whilst played crucial role in the growing influence of the print journalism in Pakistan. His role as student leader and journalist led him to become closer to Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Nawa-i-Waqt

In 1940, Nizami left the Orient Press to establish the Nawa-i-Waqt, which he became newspapers" first editor-in-chief from Lahore on 23 March 1940.

The Nawa-i-Waqt was a monthly newspaper but he quickly converted the newspaper into weekly on 15 December 1942.

After hiring more staff and gaining more credibility, the Nawa-i-Waqt began publishing its articles and news headlines on daily purposes on 19 July 1944. He was noted as the strong spokesman for the support of democracy in the country, and harshly penned a column against the first martial law imposed by President Iskander Mirza.

He began to raise voice against the martial law despite hardship imposed by the government. He once described the martial law as a "dark night".

Hameed Nizami died on 25 February 1962 in Lahore.

His death was mourned throughout the country. After his death, the newspaper founded the "Hameed Nizami Memorial Society" (HNMS) dedicated to his style of journalism, and held memorial session in remembrance of his name each and every year. His journalism style was influenced by the renowned philosopher, Iqbal, and had conveyed his words in articles penned by him.

To many conservative politicians, Nizami is noted as a crucial figure in shaping the print media in Pakistan.

Achievements

• Furthermore, he attended the Punjab University where he attained the Master of Arts in English Literature. After attaining master"s degree in journalism, he joined the press directorate of the Punjab government for a short brief of time before joining the literary staff of the Orient Press.

Politics

Through his newspaper, he took hard stance on communism and supported the capitalism stance during the 1950s.