Tariq Aziz ( Punjabi, ur, طارق عزیز; 28 April 1936 – 17 June 2020) was a Pakistani television host, poet and film actor, known for PTV's quiz show ''

Neelam Ghar ''Bazm-e-Tariq Aziz'' (formerly ''Neelam Ghar'' and ''Tariq Aziz Show'') was a quiz-format game show hosted by Tariq Aziz on PTV which started in 1975 and lasted for many years. It was renamed as ''Tariq Aziz Show'' in 1997 and in 2006 took the ...

'', first aired in 1974, later renamed the ''

Tariq Aziz Show ''Bazm-e-Tariq Aziz'' (formerly ''Neelam Ghar'' and ''Tariq Aziz Show'') was a quiz-format game show hosted by Tariq Aziz on PTV which started in 1975 and lasted for many years. It was renamed as ''Tariq Aziz Show'' in 1997 and in 2006 took th ...

'' and lately as ''

Bazm-e-Tariq Aziz ''Bazm-e-Tariq Aziz'' (formerly ''Neelam Ghar'' and ''Tariq Aziz Show'') was a quiz-format game show hosted by Tariq Aziz on PTV which started in 1975 and lasted for many years. It was renamed as ''Tariq Aziz Show'' in 1997 and in 2006 took the ...

''. He was known for his iconic line " Dekhti Aankhon,Sunte Kaanon Tariq Aziz ka Salam". He was the first face to appear on

television in Pakistan Television in Pakistan started in 1964 and the first live transmission of Pakistan Television began on 26 November 1964, in Lahore. He had also been a member of the

National Assembly of Pakistan The National Assembly ( ur, , translit=Aiwān-e-Zairīñ, , or ur, قومی اسمبلی, Romanization, romanized: ''Qaumi Assembly'') is the lower house, lower legislative house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Pakistan, which al ...

between 1997 and 1999.

Early life

Tariq Aziz was born in 1936 to Punjabi

Arain Arain (also known as Raeen) are a large Punjabi agricultural tribe with strong political identity and organisation, found mainly in the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Sindh with a small population in parts of Indian Punjab, Uttar Pradesh ...

family, in

Jalandhar Jalandhar is the third most-populous city in the Indian state of Punjab and the largest city in Doaba region. Jalandhar lies alongside the Grand Trunk Road and is a well-connected rail and road junction. Jalandhar is northwest of the state ...

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 India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. His father's name was Mian Abdul Aziz. He received his early education in Jalandhar and in 1947 migrated to the then Montgomery city now Sahiwal, Pakistan. He graduated from the

Government College Sahiwal Government Postgraduate College Sahiwal is a college in Sahiwal, Punjab, Pakistan. It is situated next to Canal Colony, beside Farid Town, an upscale, planned residential area of Sahiwal. The Sahiwal Government College's History It starts back ...

Career

Aziz moved to

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. ...

to start his career at

Radio Pakistan Radio Pakistan serves as the national public broadcaster for radio in Pakistan. Although some local stations predate Radio Pakistan's founding, it is the oldest existing broadcasting network in Pakistan. The network was established on 14 August ...

in 1961. Later when

Pakistan Television Pakistan Television Corporation ( ur, ; reporting name: PTV) is the Pakistani state-owned broadcaster. Pakistan entered the television broadcasting age in 1964, with a pilot television station established at Lahore. Background Historical co ...

(PTV) started its initial broadcast in November 1964 from Lahore, Aziz was the first person to be seen on it and went on to become first male PTV announcer.

Television

He was one of the first TV hosts to gain commercial success by using the platform of his quiz show ''

''/''

Bazm E Tariq Aziz ''Bazm-e-Tariq Aziz'' (formerly ''Neelam Ghar'' and ''Tariq Aziz Show'') was a quiz-format game show hosted by Tariq Aziz on PTV which started in 1975 and lasted for many years. It was renamed as ''Tariq Aziz Show'' in 1997 and in 2006 took the ...

''. He interviewed many notable intellectuals, sports persons and celebrities on his shows.

"Game shows are all the rage on television these days and their highly-paid hosts have their dedicated fans. But what about Tariq Aziz, the pioneer of Pakistani game shows?"

He appeared, as a guest, and answered all the questions on the game show ''

Inam Ghar Inaam Ghar Plus ( ur, انعام گھر, English ''The Awards House'') was a Geo Entertainment's presented television game show in Pakistan. It is based in Karachi and was hosted by Aamir Liaquat Hussain. The show returned on 13 February 2015 o ...

'' in Pakistan, becoming the first man to do this. He did this without using any help provided to the participants. He then donated all the prizes that he received to an organisation which works for the welfare of people.

Film

Tariq Aziz, along with the film actor

Waheed Murad Waheed Murad ( ur, ; 2 October 1938 – 23 November 1983), also known as Chocolate Hero, was a Pakistani film actor, producer and script writer. Famous for his charming expressions, attractive personality, tender voice and unusual talent for a ...

and film actress

Zeba Shaheen Bano (born 10 September 1945), known professionally as Zeba ( ur, ), is a Pakistani actress. She was one of the top stars of the Pakistani film industry in the 1960s and the early 1970s.Salgira ''Salgira'' ( ur, , lit=Anniversary) is an Urdu-language Pakistani black-and-white film released in 1969. It is a melodious love story directed by Qamar Zaidi and produced by Najma Hassan and written by Shams Hanafi. The film stars Waheed Mura ...

'' (1969) which was a highly successful musical movie and won two

Nigar Awards The Nigar Awards ( ur, , translit=Inʿām Negār, lit=Picture Awards) were presented in an annual award show to recognize outstanding achievement in Pakistani cinema. The honors are awarded by Nigar Magazine founded in 1948. The Nigar Awards a ...

for that year.

Politics

Aziz was active in student politics during his college-era and had joined

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Zulfikar (or Zulfiqar) Ali Bhutto ( ur, , sd, ذوالفقار علي ڀٽو; 5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979), also known as Quaid-e-Awam ("the People's Leader"), was a Pakistani barrister, politician and Politician, statesman who served as ...

Pakistan Peoples Party The Pakistan People's Party ( ur, , ; PPP) is a centre-left, social-democratic political party in Pakistan. It is currently the third largest party in the National Assembly and second largest in the Senate of Pakistan. The party was founded ...

in 1970. Atthetime, Aziz was called a "firebrand socialist" known for charging up the crowds with revolutionary slogans at Bhutto's rallies. However, later he parted his ways with that party and went back to the entertainment world. In 1996, Aziz joined

Pakistan Muslim League (N) The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) ( ur, , translit=Pākistān Muslim Līg (Nūn) PML(N) or PML-N) is a Centre-right politics, centre-right and Liberal conservatism, liberal conservative political party in Pakistan. Alongside the Pakistan Teh ...

and was elected member of

Pakistan National Assembly The National Assembly ( ur, , translit=Aiwān-e-Zairīñ, , or ur, قومی اسمبلی, romanized: ''Qaumi Assembly'') is the lower legislative house of the bicameral Parliament of Pakistan, which also comprises the Senate of Pakistan (upp ...

from Lahore. He was one of the political activists who were charged with attacking the

Supreme Court of Pakistan The Supreme Court of Pakistan ( ur, ; ''Adālat-e-Uzma Pākistān'') is the apex court in the judicial hierarchy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Established in accordance to thePart VIIof the Constitution of Pakistan, it has ultimate a ...

building in 1997. During

Pervez Musharraf General Pervez Musharraf ( ur, , Parvez Muśharraf; born 11 August 1943) is a former Pakistani politician and four-star general of the Pakistan Army who became the tenth president of Pakistan after the successful military takeover of the ...

's presidency, he joined his political party

Pakistan Muslim League (Q) The Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid e Azam Group) ur, ; ''Pākistān Muslim Līg (Qāf)'', Acronyms: PML(Q), PML-Q, PMLQ, "Q League") is a Conservative nationalist political party in Pakistan. As of the 2018 parliamentary election, it has a re ...

. However, he could not attain any status of note in that party and was sidelined. Again, he returned to the entertainment industry. But this time his career in entertainment industry could not reach the highs of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s due to plenty of competition by many TV channels in Pakistan after 2002. Aziz was a

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

, book-lover and recited poetry. In 2018, a major English-language Pakistani newspaper reported about him, "He (Tariq Aziz) shared that having children or no children is the will of Allah and since he has no kids of his own, he would like to give all his earnings for the welfare of his country. Aziz has won the hearts of many by announcing his will and he surely is a role model for all of us."

Literary works

Tariq Aziz was a poet of Punjabi language and writer. His books include: *Hamzad Da Dukh (ہمزاد دا دکھ): Poetry in Punjabi language *Iqbal Shanasi (اقبال شناسی): ''To Know Iqbal'' * Hazar Dastaan.( ہزار داستان) His collection of Urdu newspaper Columns. * Footpath sy Parliament tak . Book written by Tariq Aziz.

Death

He died on 17 June 2020 in Lahore, aged 84. He was admitted to a private hospital on the night of 16 June 2020 after feeling ill. He was laid to rest at the Garden Block, Garden Town graveyard Lahore Pakistan beside his mother’s grave.Iconic TV anchor Tariq Aziz laid to rest
Associated Press of Pakistan website, Published 17 June 2020, Retrieved 15 August 2021

Awards and recognition

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance ( ur, ), officially known as Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sports, an ...

Award by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.Profile of Tariq Aziz
The News International (newspaper), Published 18 June 2020, Retrieved 15 August 2021 *At 9th PTV Awards he won Best Host Award in 1998

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aziz, Tariq 1936 births 2020 deaths Pakistani radio presenters Pakistani game show hosts Pakistani television hosts Pakistani television people Pakistani male film actors Pakistani actor-politicians Pakistan Muslim League (N) MNAs Pakistani MNAs 1997–1999 Punjabi people People from Jalandhar district People from Sahiwal People from Sahiwal District PTV Award winners Recipients of the Pride of Performance