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eteran Pakistan Peoples Party leader Altaf Ahmed Qureshi, who passed away in Lahore on Tuesday, August 26, at the age of 82, leaves behind a remarkable legacy of political activism and journalism spanning across more than five decades. He was laid to rest at the historic Miani Sahib graveyard, where friends, comrades and admirers gathered to bid him farewell. He is survived by two sons and a daughter.
Qureshi had been battling a series of health complications. What began as a debilitating eye disorder eventually eroded his phenomenal memory and confined him to a sick bed. Yet for those who had known him, this decline in his faculties could not diminish the towering stature of a man who embodied the spirit of defiance and loyalty to Bhutto-ism.
The funeral drew a large number of PPP stalwarts including Chaudhry Manzoor, Chaudhry Aslam Gul, Usman Malik, Naveed Chaudhry, Mian Misbah-ur Rehman, Faisal Mir, Rana Jamil Manj, Dr Javed Jan, Javed Akhtar, Chaudhry Riaz, Chaudhry Khadim Hussain, Tanveer Butt, Haji Aziz-ur Rehman Chan, Munir Ahmed Khan, Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas and Farrukh Marghub Siddiqui, besides hundreds of mourners from Lahore’s political and journalistic circles. Qul khwani at his Johar Town residence followed on Wednesday, August 27.
Rooted in political struggle
Qureshi’s political journey began in his student days when he joined the National Students Federation. From the very beginning, he aligned himself with progressive causes, establishing an identity as an uncompromising advocate for democracy and social justice.
His passion soon found expression in journalism. Over the years, he worked in various roles at different newspapers, most notably as chief reporter and later editor of daily Musawat, the PPP’s official daily. At a time when the press was tightly monitored, Musawat under Qureshi’s stewardship became an audacious voice of resistance, shaping public discourse during some of the most critical junctures in Pakistan’s history.
Qureshi’s life stood at the intersection of political resistance and journalistic courage. These qualities made him equal measures admired and controversial.
His credibility, both as a political organiser and a journalist, earned him the trust of the top PPP leadership. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto appointed him his adviser on student affairs, a role in which Qureshi became a crucial link between the party and Pakistan’s burgeoning youth movement. Later, he also served as PPP’s Punjab chapter information secretary. During Benazir Bhutto’s prime minster-ship, he served as her adviser and president of the PPP Study Circle in the Punjab. The positions reflected both his intellectual depth and an acknowledgment of his organisational skills.
The courage to speak up
Talking exclusively to The News on Sunday, PPP Punjab general secretary Syed Hassan Murtaza said: “Altaf Ahmed Qureshi leaves behind a remarkable legacy spanning over five decades of political work and journalism. His death marks the end of an era.”
He added that Qureshi’s life symbolised the intersection of political resistance and journalistic courage. These qualities made him both admired and controversial.
Ahsan Rizvi, a member of PPP Punjab’s executive, echoed this sentiment. Speaking to TNS, he said:”Altaf Qureshi needed no introduction. He never abandoned the Bhutto family and was loyal until his last breath. No matter how challenging the circumstances became, he boldly challenged the establishment. He continued his struggle even in old age.”
Breaking the big story
Qureshi was the first to break the news of US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s secret visit to China in July 1971. The visit was a tightly guarded secret.
Majid Nizami would later recall that Qureshi had pieced together the scoop through a mix of intuition, street-level reporting and sheer nerve. While official briefings said that Kissinger was resting in Abbottabad, Qureshi suspected otherwise. He quietly verified details through unconventional means — including asking a sweeper at Islamabad airport whether the American diplomat had passed through the VIP Lounge.
Once he was convinced of the veracity of the story, he bypassed his editor and altered the headline at Musawat’s printing press. BBC’s Mark Tully initially dismissed the report, only to later run the item credited to Qureshi. Musawat suspended him from service for insubordination, but the report was soon acknowledged as the biggest scoop of the year.
Loyal to the last
Throughout his career, Altaf Qureshi combined intellectual rigor with unflinching loyalty. He never wavered in his allegiance to the PPP or to the Bhutto family.
Ahsan Rizvi recalled that, “He was the first person to demand that the army chief should go to Bhutto’s grave and seek forgiveness. That was Altaf Qureshi — fearless, unbending and uncompromising.”
The writer is an award winning investigative journalist based in Lahore. He can be reached on X HassanNaqvi5.