Zamir Niazi
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Zamir Niazi (1932-2004) was a renowned Pakistani journalist, famous for his commitment to the freedom of the press in Pakistan.
[edit] Biography
In 1954, Niazi joined Dawn. He advanced quickly, and was soon a sub-editor. In 1962, he left Dawn to be a chief sub editor and lead writer at its rival, the Daily News. He stayed here for 3 years, before joining the Business Recorder in 1965. Working in various capacities, he stayed at Business Recorder for 25 years. He also edited two periodicals on the side: Recorder, a monthly, and Current, a weekly.
In 1986, Niazi released his book 'The Press In Chains', an exposé on the suppression of the media by the Pakistani government. Published by the Karachi Press Club, and with a foreword by Begum Zaib-un-Nissa Hamidullah, one of Pakistan's first proponents for freedom of the press, the book received rave reviews, and several editions were published. It was also translated into Urdu.
Niazi followed up on his success with two more books, both about the same topic. 'The Web of Censorship', published in 1994, ventured onto new ground, that of the latest generation of Pakistani journalists. Both books were popular, and Niazi emerged as the hero and leader of the Pakistani freedom of press movement in the 1990s.
In 1995, Niazi returned his Pride of Performance award to the government, in response to its closure of six newspapers. After a long illness, Niazi died in 2004.
