On November 23, 2015 it will be 30 years since Zamir Siddiqi Sahib departed from this mortal world. Zamir Ahmad Siddiqi, popularly known as Zamir Siddiqi, was just Zamir bhai for his wide circle of relatives, friends and journalists. He entered journalism in the late 1930s in undivided India, when hardly any Muslim working journalist was seen in the field of English journalism. It would not be wrong to assign to him the honour of being one of the pioneers in English journalism among the Muslims of the sub-continent.
Born in Etawah U.P. India on July 3, 1915, Zamir Sahib hailed from a humble family of Bulundshehr. He had his early schooling at the famous Islamia School in Etawah founded by Khan Bahadur Moulvi Bashiruddin, a co-worker of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, known to be Sir Syed-e-Sani. In Etawah he had the opportunity of being taught by a galaxy of distinguished teachers including the legendary Headmaster Syed Altaf Hussain Sahib who also happened to be his distant relation. After matriculation in 1933, Zamir Sahib went to Aligarh for his bachelors along with his two school classmates Hamid Zubairi and Siddiq Ahmad Siddiqui. The former remained a journalist all his life and the latter was associated with BBC Urdu Service in London. He graduated from Muslim University Aligarh in 1937.
God had bestowed him with the fine skills of reporting which started showing their true tints when he was still a student. While studying for his bachelor's degree with Politics and Economics, he started filing stories about the affairs of the University to the National dailies, like Hindustan Times, Delhi and The Hindu, Madras. As though it was in his blood, reporting came naturally to him. He had his own sources of gathering news, having mastered the art of dealing with people, he would encourage and motivate them to communicate and part with information. Thus he succeeded in gathering all the exciting, thrilling and at times provoking information about the happenings, debates and discussions taking place in the Academic Council and other committee meetings of the University. The University authorities were not at all pleased with these press reports and secretly imposed censor at the University Post Office. Zamir Sahib was smart enough to send all his dispatches henceforth straight through the mail train which passed through the Aligarh railway station in the late evening. Vice Chancellor Dr Ziauddin Ahmed tried his best, but was unable to detect the source of the reports. This was Zamir Sahib's entrance into the field of reporting and journalism, which continued to be his passion for the rest of his life. This major breakthrough early in life led to his long and chequered career in this profession.
At Muslim University Aligarh he remained active in politics with the pro congress faction of the students and stayed at the Aftab Hostel where in room no. 26 Hamid Zubairi was his roommate. Other close friends comprising contemporaries, class fellows and hostel mates included, Siddiq Ahmad Siddiqui, Ali Sardar Jafri, Dr Muhammad Ahson, Moin (Cantab), Abrar Hasan Khan, Kazi Jalil Abbasi, Asrarul Haq Majaz, Ansarul Haq Harvani, Kazi Younus, Khalilur Rab, Ateeq Ahmad, Maqsood Burney, Safiul Haq, Aftab Ahmad Khan, Moin Ahson Jazbi, Jan Nisar Akthar, Syed Nasiruddin, Abdul Wahab Khan, Sabir Ali Jafri, Shakir Ali Jafri, Badiuddin Mehmud, Rahat Saeed Chattari, Hikmatullah, Hameed Butt, Ishrat Hasan, Ghazanfar Ali Khan, Saeed Jafri, Majid Ali and Absar Qarni to name some.
After his expulsion from Aligarh University in 1937 due to his political views, he joined National Call, a pro congress daily newspaper published from Delhi. This was his first formal job and then there was no looking back. He was a pronounced nationalist Muslim having served the Congress as a worker and as an office-bearer of the Delhi Congress Committee in 1939-40. During this period he also had to face a police search of his Bhagwa Lane residence in Delhi. Around 1940 he was appointed and posted by the leading Indian news agency United Press of India (UPI), as its Bureau Chief in Peshawar. His stay in Peshawar provided him a good opportunity to develop personal relations with leaders of the province including Sardar Abdur Rab Nishter, Khan Abdul Qayyum Khan and Dr Khan Sahib.
In late 1943, he visited Delhi from Peshawar where he had the opportunity of meeting Liaquat Ali Khan who somehow persuaded him to join Dawn which was converted from a weekly to a daily newspaper under the editorship of Pothan Joseph. Zamir Sahib packed up from his Kitchener Lane residence in Peshawar and joined Dawn, Delhi, in January 1944, as Chief Reporter. He wanted to be present in Delhi as it was the Capital, and therefore, the hub and focal point of all political activities taking place at that crucial time. Zamir Sahib had the golden opportunity of working actively in the most tumultuous era of Indo-Pak history. In fact, he witnessed and reported history in the making. Struggle for independence, the fall of the British Empire, the emergence of India and Pakistan as two self-governing states - all happened before his keen eyes. He had good cordial relations with some of the most important political personalities of the time, who had a vital role to play during this eventful era in history. They were giants like Liaquat Ali Khan and Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar. He already knew personally some of the senior most leaders of the Congress and these personal contacts always came in handy in the discharge of his duties and assignments.
In 1946 Zamir Siddiqi, in collaboration with, Hameed Nizami, Inam Nabi Pardesi and Malik Tajuddin took a keen interest in the formation of All-India Muslim Editors' Conference with its Head Office in Delhi. It was formed on the lines of All-India Editors Conference which discriminated and discouraged participation of Muslims. Altaf Husain became the first president of the conference. Later, all the newspapers representing Muslim press joined and the conference became the spokesman of the Muslim journalists in India. In 1947, prior to partition, he resigned from Dawn due to serious differences with the then editor Altaf Husain. Stewardship of Dawn was taken over by Altaf Husain in October, 1945 after leaving his position as Director of Public Information, Government of undivided Bengal, in Calcutta. Pothan Joseph had resigned to join the Government of India as Principal Information Officer (P.I.O.) in New Delhi and Publicity Advisor to the Viceroy of India Lord Archibald Wavell.
Zamir Sahib came over to Karachi, before August 14, 1947. In Karachi he served as the Bureau Chief of Associated Press of America (APA), this position he enjoyed till his death. In 1982 he was invited to the United States by APA for conferring on him a 35 years long service award for consistent and commendable performance. In 1950 he also took over as Bureau Chief of UPI. In 1948, when Sind Union of Journalists (SUJ), the first trade union of journalists, was formed in Pakistan, he was among its founding fathers. In 1949 he was elected as President of SUJ and meetings of the office bearers of SUJ were held occasionally at his flat near the then well known Frederick's cafeteria in Saddar. Throughout his career he remained fully committed to the freedom of the press. He was also intensely associated with all movements of the working journalists for upholding their right to freedom of speech and writing.
In 1963 Zamir Sahib joined the eveninger Daily News, as editor, when its founder editor Shamim Ahmed resigned due to differences with the proprietor. During that period few notable journalists including Sulaiman A. Meenai, Khawaja Ibtesam Ahmed, Zamir Niazi and Muhammad Ali Siddiqi were also working for the paper. Zamir Sahib remained Editor of the Daily News till the end of 1968, when he was asked to resign, by the newspaper owner, on the insistence of Ayub's Information Minister Khawaja Shahabuddin. The Minister was annoyed with the Editor for printing a headline relating to the health condition of President Ayub. This incident is also mentioned by Zamir Niazi in his famous book Press in Chains.
While he was still the editor of Daily News he was sent to Egypt by APA, in June 1967, after the six days Arab Israel war, to cover the repercussions that resulted in the expansion of territory held by Israel and leading to the resignation of President Gamal Abdel Nasser. In October, 1973 once again Zamir Sahib went to Egypt as a war correspondent, representing Jung group, when the coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria made a surprise attack, on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, to recapture the territories lost to Israelis in the six days war. Apart from Middle East, he widely travelled through South East Asia and the Far East. He also travelled extensively through Europe and America. A member of the Amnesty International from Pakistan, in the early days; he was also Convenor of the Pakistan Branch of International Press Institute (IPI) and a member of the Commonwealth Press Union. He regularly attended meetings of these organisations in various Asian and European countries. Besides travelling with Ayub Khan on his first famous official visit to US in July 1961, he also travelled as part of many official delegations including some with Heads of State.
After Daily News he started publishing, Weekly Mail, his own newspaper, which was printed at the Dawn press. This weekly started in 1970, kept him occupied for a few years after which he decided to discontinue the paper. He then got associated with Jung Group as Karachi correspondent of daily Jung, London. Besides APA, he also reported for Khaleej Times, Dubai and Asahi Shimbun, the well known Japanese daily.
A self-made man in the true sense of the word, his achievements in life were the product of his inborn qualities, capabilities and diligence. Having encountered hard times in his early life he kept on working tirelessly for an overall improvement with a positive mind. He was an optimist with a pleasant personality and an ever smiling face, friendly to both seniors and juniors with equal ease. He remained extremely popular among his friends and colleagues who derived immense pleasure in his company, listening every time to interesting stories and anecdotes both from the bygone days and the current happenings of the time.
Zamir Sahib got married in 1939. It was palpable, after the death in 1980, of his wife Akhtar, who stood steadfastly with him through thick and thin - he was a broken man from inside. He somehow managed to continue with his profession which was also his pastime. He is survived by a son Asif Ahmad who was selected as a member of the Pakistan Cricket team which toured UK in 1962. Asif worked, till his retirement in 2000, as a senior executive and head of sports section in National Bank of Pakistan.
When Zamir Sahib expired on November 23, 1985 at the age of 70, he was still quite active for his age. He was at his residence located on Mirza Qaleech Baig Road, on the day of his death, it being his weekly off. The previous day he had followed his usual routine of professional work in office. He was indeed lucky to have passed away while still in harness. Though thirty years have elapsed, the memory of his simple dress, his laughter and friendly and affectionate gestures is still fresh in our minds.
May Allah bless his soul with infinite mercy and eternal peace. (Aameen)
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