In search of sense

Karachi
Glowing tributes were heaped on the late Ahmed Ali Khan, former editor of Dawn, at a function to discuss his book, “In search of sense”.
The function, compered by Sabooha Khan, was arranged by the Readers’ Club and had as speakers noted journalist and formerly Dawn’s senior assistant editor Zubeida Mustafa, Dawn Readers’ Editor Muhammad Ali Siddiqui and Naveed Tahir, daughter of the late Ahmed Ali Khan.
Zubeida Mustafa, in her fond reminiscences of the late editor, said the values in journalism inculcated by Khan Saheb were not meant for any particular age or genre, but were permanent and universal.
These, she said, were mainly honesty, objectivity and fearlessness. His strong personality, she said, influenced many and his writings were very profound and down-to-earth. She said a very praiseworthy thing about him was that he retained a liaison with journalism and journalists even after he retired.
“With the passing away of the genre of journalists like Ahmed Ali Khan, journalism is sure to be beset with challenges,” she said.
The book, according to her, was in a way his autobiography with a foreword by another veteran journalist, IA Rehman. She eulogised him for standing firm even in the era of the “most dictatorial regime” of the late Gen Ziaul Haq, most resolutely adhering to his principles, and said he never compromised on them even in the face of extreme pressure by the establishment.
She told the gathering that Khan Sahib was an editorial staff member of Dawn, Delhi, but after Partition he came and joined Dawn, Karachi.
Other notable paper he worked for was The Pakistan Times at Lahore. He was appointed editor of Dawn, Karachi, in 1973.
Dawn Readers’ Editor Muhammad Ali Siddiqui said there were many occasions when Khan Saheb did not agree with the government’s policies and never made secret of his views. Such was his fearlessness, he said.
He paid tributes to the late editor for possessing complete grasp over the nuances of the English language. Khan Saheb, he said, had the knack of dealing with all kinds of human beings, with all its intricacies.
Naveed Tahir read out a portion from the book pertaining to the Khan family, particularly her mother, Hajra Masroor. She also read out a portion describing Khan Saheb’s stint at The Pakistan Times, Lahore, and spoke fondly of the city.
Former journalist Babar Ayaz, commended Khan Saheb’s role during the language troubles of 1972. He described Khan Saheb as a really soft-spoken person.
Naveed Tahir dispelled a longstanding confusion and clarified that Dawn, Delhi, and Dawn, Karachi, were two separate entities.
The only connection was that at the time of Partition, most of the Muslim staff of Dawn, Delhi, on migrating to Pakistan, joined Dawn, Karachi. The owners of the two newspapers, however, were different, she said.