Daily News founding editor SM Fazal passes away

KARACHI: Veteran journalist SM Fazal, who was the founding editor of Daily News and Mag The Weekly, passed away early on Monday morning after a brief illness.

His funeral will be held on Tuesday (today) at Sultan Masjid, DHA Phase V, after the Asr prayers. He is survived by his wife, and their son and daughter. His other son had died a few years ago.

Fazal Sahib spent his entire life in the Jang Group. Daily News was started in 1962, and he assumed its editorship and remained on this position until the paper stopped publishing in 2018. He also remained the editor of Mag The Weekly.

He was the president of the Pakistan Institute of International Affairs. He also remained the president of the Commonwealth Journalists Association's Pakistan chapter. He was also elected secretary of the Karachi Press Club in the 1970s.

Hummaa Ahmad, former executive editor of The News, said in her condolence message: “He was a fine person and editor/journalist. I'm much saddened that so many of those whom I think of as trained professional journalists have left us.”

Senior journalist Nasir Baig Chughtai said: “Fazal sahib was one of the last generations of the best journalists. A principled man who gave immense value to trade unions. He was known for his love for news and humanity. He would teach us many things while conversing casually with us.”