Liaquat Ali ( ur, ‎; 1952 – 30 March 2011), better known by his stage name Liaquat Soldier, was a Pakistani stage and television comedy actor, writer, and director.

Early life

He was born in 1952 in a modest, low-income family of Marwari background in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...

, while Soldier’s unusual last name was given to him by his friend Nazar Hussain, a stage artist.

Career

He started his acting career in 1973 and featured in over 250 plays and co-starred with many famous theatre personalities, including the likes of

Moin Akhtar Moin Akhter (also: "معین اختر" Moin Akhtar), (24 December 1950 – 22 April 2011) was a Pakistani television, film and stage artist, humorist, comedian, impersonator, host, writer, singer, director and producer who rose to fame in the ...

, Furqan Haider,

Umer Sharif Mohammad Umer (19 April 1960 – 2 October 2021), known professionally as Umer Shareef, was a Pakistani actor, comedian, director, producer, and television personality. Early life Mohammad Umer was born on 19 April 1960, into an Urdu speaki ...

, Hanif Raja and Shahzad Raza. Channels for which Soldier worked included ''

Geo TV Geo Television Network is a television channel based in Pakistan. It was established in May 2002 and is owned by the Jang Media Group. The channel began its test transmission on 14 August 2002, with regular transmission beginning on 1 October 2 ...

'', ''

SAMAA TV Samaa TV ( ur, سماء) is a Pakistani Urdu language news channel owned by Aleem Khan. It is the fourth-largest news channel in Pakistan with a market share of 7 percent. The word 'Samaa' ("سما") is Urdu for 'sky' or 'heaven'. It is broadca ...

'', ''Dhoom TV'', ''Metro'', '' Hum TV'' and '' ARY Digital''. Overseas, he worked in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

Death

On 30 March 2011, Soldier died of a heart attack; before his immediate death, he was reportedly participating in a live TV show during a special transmission of the semi-final between India and Pakistan of the

2011 Cricket World Cup The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and for the first time in Bangladesh. India won the tournament, defeating Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in the final at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, ...

and had died by the time he was transported to the hospital. His death was called "a big loss to the world of comedy dramas", while, a friend described him as not only a good actor but a “humble, good person." The news of his death was also announced on '' Cricinfo'', in the commentary scorecard at the start of Pakistan's innings in the match. Soldier is survived by his wife, daughter and three sons. His body is buried in the old

Mewa Shah Graveyard Mewa Shah Graveyard ( ur, ) is located in SITE Town, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. The Mewa Shah Qabaristan (Cemetery), one of the largest and oldest graveyards of Karachi. It is named after the 19th Century Sufi, Mewa Shah, was a Sufi and struggl ...

located in

SITE Town Site most often refers to: * Archaeological site * Campsite, a place used for overnight stay in an outdoor area * Construction site * Location, a point or an area on the Earth's surface or elsewhere * Website, a set of related web pages, typically ...

References

1952 births 2011 deaths Marwari people Pakistani male comedians Pakistani male stage actors Pakistani male television actors Male actors from Karachi Pakistani people of Rajasthani descent Muhajir people {{Pakistan-actor-stub