Ziauddin Ahmad Suleri (1912/1913 – 21/22 April 1999), best known as Z. A. Suleri, was a Pakistani political

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

writer, author, and

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 per ...

activist. He is regarded as one of the pioneers of 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 (pro ...

in Pakistan, and authored various history and political books on

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

as well as Islam in the South Asian

subcontinent A continent is any of several large landmasses. Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, up to seven geographical regions are commonly regarded as continents. Ordered from largest in area to smallest, these seven ...

Early life and education

Ziauddin Ahmad Suleri was born in Deoli,

Zafarwal Zafarwal (Urdu and Punjabi language, Punjabi: ) is a city and capital of Zafarwal Tehsil situated in the Narowal District of Punjab, Pakistan. Geography It is located at 32°21'0N 74°54'0E with an altitude of 268 metres (882 feet). It is ...

North India North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central ...

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

(present-day Punjab, Pakistan). He was a ''Rajput Salahria''. After his graduation from school, he briefly studied British literature at

Patna University Patna University is a public state university in Patna, Bihar, India. It was established on 1 October 1917 during the British Raj. It is the first university in Bihar and the seventh oldest university in the Indian subcontinent in the modern e ...

, where he obtained a BA in English. He 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 attend the Punjab University to further study English literature. He earned an MA in British literature after compiling a critical and analytical thesis on '' Great Expectations'', written by

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

Political activism and military service

Due to his long attraction to the work of

, Suleri earned the nickname of "''Pip''" from his family and friends. He moved to

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 ...

after becoming politically aligned with the

Muslim League Muslim League may refer to: Political parties Subcontinent ; British India *All-India Muslim League, Mohammed Ali Jinah, led the demand for the partition of India resulting in the creation of Pakistan. **Punjab Muslim League, a branch of the organ ...

, led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah. In support of the

, he penned many political columns and

opinions An opinion is a judgment, viewpoint, or statement that is not conclusive, rather than facts, which are true statements. Definition A given opinion may deal with subjective matters in which there is no conclusive finding, or it may deal with ...

in the ''Orient Press'' as well as the British '' Evening Times''. Suleri also authored and published "''The Road to Peace and Pakistan''" in 1944, and ''My Leader'' in 1945; all of which greatly exhorted the political objectives of the

and the independence from the

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 ...

of the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

. In 1946, he departed for the United Kingdom but returned to

after the

partition Partition may refer to: Computing Hardware * Disk partitioning, the division of a hard disk drive * Memory partition, a subdivision of a computer's memory, usually for use by a single job Software * Partition (database), the division of a ...

by the United Kingdom. Immediately after his return, he was appointed assistant editor of the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

language newspaper, the ''Dawn''. He left ''Dawn'' when the ''

Pakistan Times ''Pakistan Times'' (1947–1996) was a Pakistani newspaper, originally established by the leftist Progressive Papers Limited based in Lahore, Pakistan. Historical background It was owned and operated by Mian Iftikharuddin, a Punjabi politic ...

'' was started in 1947, and took an assignment as its correspondent in London. For sometime, he remained associated with the Pakistan Army and briefly served in

Inter-Services Public Relations The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) ( ur, ), is the media and PR wing of the Pakistan Armed Forces. It broadcasts and coordinates military news and information to the country's civilian media and the civic society. The ISPR directo ...

, which he eventually becoming its

director-general A director general or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals'' ) or general director is a senior executive officer, often the chief executive officer, within a governmen ...

and achieved the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

in 1965.

Career in journalism and ministry

Suleri was appointed as editor of the ''

'' in 1966. During this time, he gained a conservative consciousness and wrote in support of military governments and

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, priva ...

. He penned several articles against the left-oriented Pakistan Peoples Party during the

general elections A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

held in 1970. Subsequently, he was removed by Prime Minister

Zulfikar 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 statesman who served as the fourt ...

from the ''

'' and was thrown in jail after penning an article against

socialism Socialism is a left-wing Economic ideology, economic philosophy and Political movement, movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to Private prop ...

.Memoirs: Memoirs Those heady days
Dawn (newspaper), Published 18 June 2011, Retrieved 27 November 2021 After an inquiry launched by the

FIA FIA is the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (English: International Automobile Federation), the world's governing body for all forms of motor sport where four or more wheels are used. Fia or FIA may also refer to: People * Fia Backs ...

, Suleri was picked up on charges of sedition at the behest of

director M.A. Gurmani, and his case was tried in the Central Jail in Punjab. After the imposition of

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 ...

in 1977, chief of army staff General

Zia-ul-Haq General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq HI, GCSJ, ร.ม.ภ, ( Urdu: ; 12 August 1924 – 17 August 1988) was a Pakistani four-star general and politician who became the sixth President of Pakistan following a coup and declaration of martial ...

released him from prison and ultimately appointed him for a stint as

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of the ''

''. His political ideas further pushed him to be close with the military government whereas he briefly served as additional secretary of the Ministry of Information and Mass-media Broadcasting. During this time, he also served as the chairman of the

Quaid-i-Azam Academy The Quaid-i-Azam Academy ( ur, ) is an institution of the Pakistan Government to promote the study and understanding of the personality and work of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, his associates, the Pakistan Movement and of the various aspects o ...

. His association with the military government remained close and witness key political events in the lives of

Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi: ; born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani businessman and politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms. He is the longest-serving prime minister of Pak ...

and

Death

In 1992, Suleri joined the senior staff of the ''News International'', where he was promoted to become editor-in-chief of the newspaper. Suleri was diagnosed with cancer and heart disease in 1995. On 22 April 1999, he died of heart failure at the

Jinnah Hospital, Karachi The Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (J.P.M.C., also known as ''Jinnah Hospital, Karachi'') is located at ''Rafiqui Shaheed Road'' in Karachi Cantonment area of Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre In 2015, approximatel ...

, aged 86.

Books

* * * * * * * * * * * *

His unfinished biography

When ZA Suleri wanted to write his autobiography, he chose ''Boys Will Be Boys'' as its title. The autobiography never materialised, and after his death when his daughter,

Sara Suleri Sara Goodyear ( Suleri; June 12, 1953 – March 20, 2022) was a Pakistan-born American author and professor of English at Yale University, where her fields of study and teaching included Romantic and Victorian poetry and an interest in Edmund ...

, decided to write a tribute to him, she gave this title to the book.

References

External links

;Articles
ZA Suleri: A daughter remembers
from khalidhasan.net

from paksearch.com ;Book links
Boys Will Be Boys : A Daughter's Elegy
from

Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential econo ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Suleri, Z.A. 1910s births 1999 deaths Writers from Haryana Patna University alumni University of the Punjab alumni Pakistan Movement activists Pakistan Army civilians Pakistani male journalists Pakistani political writers Directors-General of the Inter-Services Public Relations Date of birth unknown