Renowned Pakistani television and radio presenter Tariq Aziz has died at the age of 84.
The TV veteran was admitted to hospital in Lahore with a critical illness on Tuesday night and died on Wednesday, his family have confirmed.
The cause of death has not been revealed.
Born in Jalandhar in 1936, his family migrated to Pakistan and settled in Sahiwal.
His career began in the 1960s with a slot on Radio Pakistan, before he went on to become the country’s first major television host, appearing on PTV's first transmission in November 1964:
His popular game show Neelam Ghar started in 1974 and ran for four decades. It was later renamed the Tariq Aziz Show.
As well as his work in presenting, Aziz was an actor and keen poet, performing on many radio shows and starring in television programmes throughout his career.
In 1992, he was awarded the Pride of Performance Award by the Pakistani government for his services to the entertainment industry.
In the late 1990s, Aziz also took a step into politics, becoming a member of the National Assembly.
Saddened to learn of the passing of Tariq Aziz, an icon in his time and a pioneer of our TV game shows. My condolences and prayers go to his family.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) June 17, 2020
Imran Khan, Prime Minister of Pakistan, led tributes to the star. “Saddened to learn of the passing of Tariq Aziz, an icon in his time and a pioneer of our TV game shows. My condolences and prayers go to his family,” he said.
Heard the sad news of legendary anchor Tariq Aziz sahab this morning. May Allah make his journey onwards easy. He was the first face of Pakistan Television. #TariqAziz pic.twitter.com/hRaU1mbokR
— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) June 17, 2020
Among those to pay tribute was Pakistani cricket commentator and YouTube star Shoaib Akhtar. “Heard the sad news of legendary anchor Tariq Aziz sahab this morning. May Allah make his journey onwards easy. He was the first face of Pakistan Television,” he tweeted.
