Lahore, Punjab: Veteran journalist and intellectual Altaf Hassan Qureshi passed away on Saturday at the age of 94, his son, Kamran Altaf, confirmed.
His funeral prayer will take place on Sunday after Zuhr at Jamia Ashrafia in Lahore, Kamran Altaf said.
Qureshi co-founded Urdu Digest in November 1959 with his brother, Dr. Ijaz Hassan Qureshi. Later, the magazine became a key platform for political and literary debate in Pakistan.
He also wrote several books, including Siasat ke Firaun, Chalta Musafir, Muqabila-e-Zindagi and Mulaqaten. Additionally, he interviewed major figures, including Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal expressed sorrow over his death. He called Qureshi a “towering voice in journalism and intellectual thought.”
Qureshi received the Sitara-i-Imtiaz for his services to journalism. Meanwhile, colleagues often described him as a “University of Journalism” for his guidance of younger reporters and columnists.
