Every country worth its salt has had a radio station of its own but no one has gained importance, credibility and acceptability like the BBC Radio. In many countries Radio Stations have been pushed to the back seat with the advent of idiot box but not the BBC Radio. Its programme billed as today is the most listened to programme of all the TV channels of England taken together, which wax eloquent of its popularity among the Radio listeners.
Before the advent of PTV up to 1964 it was Radio Pakistan which dominated the proceedings in the broadcasting business of this country. Shakil Ahmad, Masood Tabish and Anwar Behzad were moving spirit behind news bulletins broadcast every hour. In the same manner Aslam Azhar used to read English language bulletins from Radio Pakistan.
The duo of Omar Qureshi and Jamshed Marker used to do running commentary of cricket test matches and the cricket fans listened to them with rapt attention.
The story of Radio Pakistan will remain incomplete without taking name of Z A Bokhari the ace broadcaster who was instrumental in developing Radio Pakistan.
Radio Pakistan used to run an External Service also for a fairly long time in which the poisonous propaganda of All India Radio and Kabul Radio against Pakistan was nailed.
It is about time that External Service was restored for countering in Pushto, Darri, Bangla and Persian and Urdu languages the nefarious propaganda against us by our enemies.
ZA Bokhari was instrumental in grooming many broadcasters like Agha Talish, Mohammad Ali ,
Mustafa Qureshi and Ibrahim Nafees who later on made a big time in lollywood also.
Postscript:
The Pensioners of Radio Pakistan since long don’t get pension and commutation on time. They face multiple problems on one pretext or the other. The Government high-ups are meting out step motherly treatment to them. It is not understandable as to why they are being treated in this way?
