Zubair Qureshi
Former Managing Director of the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), veteran journalist Masood Malik was paid rich tributes at a reference organized at the National Press Club (NPC) here Thursday.
Former Information Minister and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Senator Pervaiz Rashid, President of the NPC Shakeel Qarar, Former Inspector General of National Highways and Motorway Police Zulfiqar Ahmed Cheema, colleagues, friends and family members of late Masood Malik attended the reference and shared with the audience their memories of a thorough proessional journalist and a role model for others.
While eulogizing the efforts of Masood Malik Senator Rashid said Masood Malik had faced bravely many hardships during the regime of former military ruler Gen (R) Pervez Musharraf.
However, despite all hardships, he neither compromised on principles nor bowed before dictatorship.
He lamented that the journalist fraternity left him in the lurch during the hard times which further aggravated the crisis for him.
Former Inspector General of National Highways and Motorway Police Zulfiqar Ahmed Cheema regretted lack of participation by senior journalists in Masood Malik’s condolence reference.
He said Malik had never sold a single word to gain monetary benefits rather kept the esteem of his profession paramount.
“He was the editor of three leading Urdu dailies and was appointed MD APP purely on merit. He called him a journalist who never sold his pen.
Masood Malik was a man of letters, who had always covered police events without pen and paper, and his news stories were used to publish prominently the other day which proved his mettle,” he added.
The reference was presided over by Vice President NPC Saadia Kamal and senior journalist Shehzad Farooqi.
Minhaj Malik, son of the deceased while addressing the reference said his father always remained steadfast during crisis and never lost his temper.
The reference was attended by the journalists of twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, including former Information Secretary Mushtaq Gondal, senior journalists Hafiz Tahir Khalil, Haji Nawaz Raza and others.