Remembering those with left us in 2009.

January

01








Nizar Rayan
Nizar Rayan acceded to a position of authority in Hamas after the death of one of its founding members, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, in 2004. Known for his fierce criticism of Israel’s policy towards and treatment of Palestinians, he was against holding any kind of peace talks with Israel. He and his family were killed in their home – which was reportedly used to store arms and ammunition – in an Israeli air strike.

February

05

Khalid Hasan
Author, editor and translator of several publications, Pakistani journalist Khalid Hasan was an active participant on the political and literary front and much of his life and writings were devoted to politics. A senior reporter and columnist for The Pakistan Times in 1967, he became Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s press secretary and later the country’s foreign service representative – a position he resigned from in protest against General Zia-ul-Haq’s overthrow of the Bhutto government. He headed the Shalimar Television Network from 1997-2000 and contributed to two publications as correspondent and columnist until his death.

March

09

Ron Silver
American actor Ron Silver was an international celebrity. Remembered for his appearance on the Tony Award-winning play Speed-the-Plow and television series The West Wing, he was actively involved in politics and world affairs. Although his support of President Bush was criticised by many, including his colleagues, he helped raise awareness on a number of issues including public education and First Amendment rights. Silver also founded the New York City-based Creative Coalition.

March

18

Sabihuddin Ahmed
Justice Sabihuddin died of brain haemorrhage in his ninth year of serving as chief justice of the Sindh High Court. He was revered as one of the country’s best legal brains and for his honesty and integrity in office.

April

19

J.G. Ballard
James Ballard was an English novelist who wrote mainly in the sci-fi genre. His books Crash and Empire of the Sun were later turned into films by David Cronenberg and Steven Spielberg respectively, and his short stories were made into televised plays aired on BBC. He had a significant influence on the pop music culture in Britain, and many a song and album title, as well as song lyrics were taken from Ballard’s works, including the song “Video Killed the Radio Star.” Ballard died of prostate cancer in London.

April

21

Iqbal Bano
Renowned Pakistani ghazal singer Iqbal Bano turned into a revolutionary figure with her unforgettable rendition of Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s “Hum Dekhain Ge” in front of a crowd of 50,000 people in Lahore despite General Zia’s ban on the verses of Faiz. While Bano sang mainly the ghazal form, she also lent her voice to several musical numbers in films, some of which were popular hits. She was awarded the Pride of Performance by the Pakistan government for her contribution to music.

April

27

Feroz Khan
Heralded as one of India’s leading film heroes, Feroz Khan’s career flourished during the 1970s. He was termed the “Clint Eastwood of the East” for his personal sense of style which set him apart from the more eastern screen appearance of other fellow actors. Qurbani, which he directed and acted in, was a phenomenal success. He was awarded the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for Aadmi Aur Insaan in 1970 and the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000.

May

26

Dr Mohammed Zawar Zaidi
Chief of the Quaid-e-Azam Papers Project, Dr Zawar Hussain Zaidi devoted much of his time to the compilation of the Quaid’s documents and letters and to make them available in reference sections across the country’s libraries. He authored 20 books, written in English, Urdu and Persian, and held the position of head of the history department at FC College, Lahore. He died of cardiac arrest at the age of 81.


Dr Mohammed Sarwar
Dr Sarwar, one of Pakistan’s top physicians and founders of the Pakistan Medical Association, is also remembered as a vociferous student activist of his time. He played a pivotal role in bringing to the attention of the concerned authorities, the needs of the students and was affiliated with the Inter-Collegiate Body, a conglomeration of student unions from various colleges, and the All Pakistan Students Organisation during his student days. He died of cancer at the age of 79.

June

25

Farrah Fawcett
Farrah Fawcett’s claim to fame was her role as Jill Munroe in the 1970s television series Charlie’s Angels. She went on to do dramatic portrayals of real life characters for which she won several Golden Globes and was also nominated for the Emmy’s. Fawcett’s charisma extended beyond the big and small screen, and she became an extremely popular pin-up girl. She died of cancer at age 62.

Kaleem Omar
Kaleem Omar was ranked among the esteemed Pakistani English-language poets such as Taufiq Rafat, Maki Kureishi and Zulfikar Ghose, and his work appeared alongside theirs in anthologies. He was a journalist by profession and worked for The News. Omar is remembered by a colleague as “an encyclopedia unto himself.” He died of heart failure.

Michael Jackson
Known as the ‘King of Pop,’ Michael Jackson was a global legend. Starting his singing career as the youngest voice in the Jackson Five, he established a name of his own with his sensational hit album Thriller. Popular also for his signature dance move, the moonwalk, Jackson was as much an entertainer as singer. His life was surrounded by many a controversy, with frequent allegations of child abuse, and his death was no less controversial. Jackson died less than a month before what was to be his comeback concert in London.

July

06

Robert McNamara
Serving under President John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, Robert McNamara was the eighth secretary of defence in the US government. He came to adopt an anti-Vietnam war approach while in office, due to which he later resigned. His earlier prosecution of the Vietnam war, though, dogged him throughout his life although he redeemed himself somewhat when he headed the World Bank.

July

17

Walter Cronkite
Known as ‘the most trusted man in America,’ Walter Cronkite was the anchor for CBS Evening news broadcast for nearly 20 years. He is best known for his official announcement of JFK’s death and for turning political opinion against the Vietnam war after declaring the Tet offensive a failure.