OBITUARY: PTV legend Tariq Aziz passes away at 84.

Byline: Shoaib Ahmed

LAHORE -- Dekhti Ankhon aur Suntay Kanon ko Tariq Aziz ka Salam Pauhnchay - the voice behind this memorable soundbite is gone. Tariq Aziz, the iconic television host, breathed his last in Lahore on Wednesday.

He was 84.

According to Mr Aziz's driver, Liaqat who has been with him since the 1990s, he was not feeling well since the previous night. His condition deteriorated in the morning and he was rushed to a nearby hospital, but did not survive. Tariq Aziz was diabetic and had a heart condition as well.

His funeral was held near his residence in Lahore's Garden Town and he was laid to rest in Ali Block's graveyard.

Namaz-i-Janaza was offered at Islamia Masjid, Garden Town.

According to Tariq Aziz's family, Quran Khawani will be held on Thursday (today) between Asr and Maghrib at his house, 157 Garden Block, New Garden Town. But the family has advised the public to pray for him at their own homes.

Not many people from showbiz turned up at the funeral, but there were a good number of people, as well as DSNGs, from the media.

Prominent figures from the entertainment industry were actor Qavi Khan, Nurul Hassan, Khalid Butt and Sohail Ahmed.

Many important personalities took to Twitter to offer condolences.

Versatility personified

Tariq Aziz was a man of many talents. Besides being an accomplished television host, he was a film actor, politician, writer and poet.

He was born in 1936. Tariq Aziz's family came from Jalandhar, in present-day India. He received his early education in Jalandhar. He was a trendsetter and had the distinction of being the first man to be seen on Pakistan Television's first broadcast in 1964. Tariq Aziz and Kanwal Naseer were the face of PTV during its early days.

His booming, energetic voice still rings in the ears of generations of PTV viewers from the 70s to the 90s and even later.

'Dekhti Ankhon aur Suntay Kanon ko Tariq Aziz ka Salam Pauhnchay' served as the opening lines of his internationally acclaimed TV show, Neelam Ghar, which was first aired in 1974. It was later renamed as Tariq Aziz Show and after that as Bazm-i-Tariq.

Tariq Aziz was a political activist during his college days. He joined the Pakistan Peoples Party in 1970 and won recognition as a firebrand socialist.

He also served as a member of the National Assembly between 1997 and 1999.

In 1997, Aziz was elected to the National Assembly from Lahore on a Pakistan Muslim League-N ticket and served as an MNA till October 1999.

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