The founder of one of the most popular and famous monthly Urdu Digest 83-year-old Altaf Hassan Qureshi is the recipient of Pakistan's Sitar-e-Imtiaz, Lifetime Achievement Awards of both Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors and All Pakistan Newspapers Society.
These awards are given to the distinguished leaders of the profession in recognition of their life-long services for the promotion and development of print media and their efforts to safeguard the freedom of the press, ethics, values and training of young journalists.
Publication of Urdu Digest on the pattern of popular English monthly Readers' Digest in early 1960's has pure material for Urdu readers like political analysis, interviews of political leaders, religious scholars, educationalists, social and cultural icons, labour leaders besides articles, poetry, stories in Urdu, Urdu Lughat and translation of world famous classic novels, short-stories and literature. While awarding Lifetime Achievement Awards, the CPNE also acknowledged the role and services of the veteran publishers in their consistent struggle for the dignity and advancement of the profession in the country.
Eulogising Altaf Sahib's services to the journalism and freedom of expression, CPNE President Mujibur-Rehman said that Altaf Sahib set new trends in the profession by bringing out a family magazine that soon become very popular.
He had all the characteristics of a great journalist, a widely read, travelled and hard-working reporter, resourceful, committed to Pakistan and his readers, a balanced and unbiased mind, a prolific writer with great foresight.
His long interviews with prominent personalities of different fields were thoughtful, illuminating, simple, straight, unbiased, educative, trend-setter and a treat to read. Altaf Hassan Qureshi also brought out daily newspaper Jassarat from Multan in March 1970 and later from Karachi in 1974. As a matter of policy Jassarat was known as supporter of right-wing policies.
Shami, who worked as Editor of Zindagi in 1970's with Altaf Sahib, said that as the owner and publisher of the two publications, he was generous and a good paymaster. His publications produced many well-known journalists including Irshad Arif, Zia Shahid, Haroon Rasheed, Rauf Tahir, Assadullah Ghalib and others. He opined that Altaf Hassan Qureshi's contribution to Pakistani journalism at a very crucial time in the nation's history deserves research and a Ph D degree from a recognised University.
It may be added that Altaf Hassan Qureshi was born in 1932 in district Hissar. He migrated to Lahore in 1947, did MA Political Science from Punjab University with distinction and after doing some odd jobs started publication of Urdu Digest at the behest of Jamat-e-Islami mentors. Ideologically and politically his brothers were members of the Jamat-e-Islami. Late Maulana Maudoodi was his mentor. But as a journalist, he did not hesitate to differ with Jamat leadership. The reception was attended by prominent journalists of Lahore including Sajid Mir, Irshad Arif, M Rauf Tahir, and others.