Afzal Khan’s funeral prayers tomorrow at NPC

ISLAMABAD: Funeral prayers of veteran journalist Afzal Khan, who breathed his last at a hospital in Arlington, US state of Virginia, on December 14, would be offered on Saturday at 1pm here at the National Press Club (NPC).

His body would arrive from the US at Benazir International Airport on Friday. The journalist community has been asked to attend the funeral prayer. Afzal Khan was a prolific writer, a credible and well informed reporter and a commentator who worked for the national news agency Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) and several other English language newspapers during his long career. His regular columns and news features appeared in Arab News, Khaleej Times, Dawn, The Nation, Pakistan Times and Hindustan Times.

Afzal Khan was the founding member of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and played a key role in the struggle for freedom of expression in Pakistan. He was also one of the founders of South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA).

Afzal Khan also had a long career spanning over 35 years with the Associated Press of Pakistan, from where he retired as its executive director. He was APP’s special correspondent in Washington for 10 years from 1995 to 2005.

Afzal Khan was born in Nowshera, near Sialkot in 1937. He was a graduate of the Government College, Lahore. He was known in the journalist community for always fighting for the rights of people, religious tolerance, political freedom and human rights. He was widely respected for his role in the struggle for democracy.