Hameed Nizami or Hamid Nizami ( Punjabi, ur, ; b. 3 October 1915 – 22 February 1962), was an eminent journalist, literary figure,

Pakistan Movement The Pakistan Movement ( ur, , translit=Teḥrīk-e-Pākistān) was a political movement in the first half of the 20th century that aimed for the creation of Pakistan from the Muslim-majority areas of British India. It was connected to the pe ...

activist, and the founder as well as the editor-in-chief of the

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...

, the '' Nawa-i-Waqt'' (lit. 'The Voice of the Time'). He earned national prominence for penning several political articles and opinionated

columns A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...

in support of successful

while he played a crucial role in the growing influence of the print

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...

in Pakistan.

Biography

Hameed Nizami was born in the remote railway junction town of

Sangla Hill Sangla Hill is a tehsil in the Nankana Sahib District of the Punjab Province of Pakistan. It lies 103 km from the provincial capital of Lahore and 47 km from Faisalabad. Until 2005, it was part of Sheikhupura District. Education Colleges * ...

, District Nankana Sahib. Sangla Hill is few miles from the vintage city

Lyallpur Faisalabad (; Punjabi/ ur, , ; ), formerly known as Lyallpur ( Punjabi, Urdu: لائل پور), named after the founder of the city, but was renamed in 1977 in honour of late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. It is the 3rd largest city of Pak ...

(now

Faisalabad Faisalabad (; Punjabi/ ur, , ; ), formerly known as Lyallpur ( Punjabi, Urdu: لائل پور), named after the founder of the city, but was renamed in 1977 in honour of late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. It is the 3rd largest city of Pak ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

British Indian Empire The British Raj (; from Hindi language, Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Q ...

, on 3 October 1915. He hailed from a Punjabi family and initially studied at the local school in

at his own expense. He attended the Islamia College where he gained a BA degree in Journalism. Later, he attended the Punjab University where he attained the MA degree in

English Literature English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...

. During his years in college, he was politically active. He founded and served as president of the 'Punjab Muslim Students Federation' wing of the

All India Muslim League The All-India Muslim League (AIML) was a political party established in Dhaka in 1906 when a group of prominent Muslim politicians met the Viceroy of British India, Lord Minto, with the goal of securing Muslim interests on the Indian subcontin ...

. His role as student leader and journalist led him to become closer to

Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (, ; born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the ...

. After attaining master's degree in journalism, he joined the press directorate of the Punjab government for a short time before joining the literary staff of the ''Orient Press''.

''Nawa-i-Waqt'' newspaper

In 1940, Nizami left the ''Orient Press'' and founded the '' Nawa-i-Waqt'' newspaper. He became the newspaper's first editor-in-chief from

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

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 as a daily newspaper on 19 July 1944. The first edition of the '' Nawa-i-Waqt'' came out on 22 July 1944 with a Muslim prayer and a message of

in it. Nizami's efforts made '' Nawa-i-Waqt'', with all its resources limitations, a powerful voice of the people for the cause of

and he penned several articles for the support of

. He was noted as a strong spokesman for

democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (" direct democracy"), or to choose gov ...

in the country, and wrote a harsh column against the

first First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

imposed by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Iskander Mirza Sahibzada Iskander Ali Mirza ( bn, ইস্কান্দার আলী মির্জা; ur, ; 13 November 1899 – 13 November 1969), , was a Pakistani Bengali general officer and civil servant who was the first President of Pakis ...

. Through his newspaper, he took hard stance on communism and supported capitalism during the 1950s. He began to raise his voice against the

despite hardship imposed by the government. He once described the

as a "dark night".

Commemorative postage stamp

Pakistan Post Office issued a commemorative postage stamp on 14 August 1991 to honor Hameed Nizami in its 'Pioneers of Freedom' stamp series.

Death and legacy

Hameed Nizami died on 22 February 1962 in

.Hameed Nizami to be remembered
The Nation (newspaper), Published 27 Feb 2013, Retrieved 21 October 2019 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 sessions on his death anniversary every year. His journalism style was influenced by the renowned philosopher,

Iqbal Iqbal, Eqbal, Ikbal, or Eghbal may refer to: Geography Iran * ''Eqbal, Iran'', a village in West Azerbaijan Province *''Eqbaliyeh'', rural district in Iran * ''Eqbal-e Gharbi Rural District'', western provincial district in Qazvin, Iran * ''Eqbal- ...

, and he had conveyed Iqbal's words in articles he wrote. To many conservative politicians, Nizami is noted as a crucial figure in shaping the

print media Mass media refers to a diverse array of media technologies that reach a large audience via mass communication. The technologies through which this communication takes place include a variety of outlets. Broadcast media transmit information e ...

in Pakistan. Hameed Nizami's son,

Arif Nizami Arif Nizami ( Punjabi, ur, ; 14 October 1948 – 21 July 2021) was a Pakistani journalist and caretaker federal minister who was the founder of the ''Pakistan Today''. Previously, he had been an editor of ''The Nation'' and had served as Mini ...

, and grandson, Babar Nizami, run the daily newspaper

Pakistan Today ''Pakistan Today'' is a Pakistani English-language daily newspaper, published by Nawa Media Corporation from three Pakistani cities Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab; Karachi, Sindh; and Islamabad, Islamabad Capital Territory. The newspaper late ...

. In 2013, The Hameed Nizami Memorial Society held an event on his 51st death anniversary in

, Pakistan where noted Pakistani scholars and political leaders spoke to pay him tributes including

SM Zafar Syed Muhammad Zafar (born 6th of December 1930) is one of the more prominent Pakistani human rights activists, a noted lawyer (Senior Advocate Supreme Court), a politician and a former member of the Senate of Pakistan. For some time, he was af ...

, Justice

Nasira Iqbal Justice Nasira Javid Iqbal ( ur, ) is a Pakistani jurist and law professor who served as a justice of the Lahore High Court from 1994 to 2002. Education and career Nasira Iqbal has a degree in intellectual property law from Punjab Unive ...

and Bushra Rahman.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nizami, Hameed 1915 births 1962 deaths Punjabi people People from Faisalabad Journalists from Lahore Pakistani newspaper founders Government Islamia College alumni University of the Punjab alumni Pakistani male journalists Pakistan Movement activists Pakistani anti-communists Pakistani democracy activists All India Muslim League members