CDA honors literati, martyrs

Islamabad

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) in its Board Meeting held here Friday honored the renowned broadcaster and intellectual of yesteryears, Agha Nasir, when it re-named the Service Road (East) of Sector F-11 as Agha Nasir Road.

Agha Nasir, who passed away on 12th July 2106, was a winner of prestigious ‘Presidential Pride of Performance Award. Agha Nasir is also considered as one of the founder of the Pakistan Television (PTV).

He started his career as a Producer in Radio Pakistan and soon became famous with his blockbuster hit dramas like ‘Studio Number Nou, Old Gorou, and Ghunda’. When television came to Pakistan, Agha Nasir moved from Radio Pakistan to PTV.

His biggest accomplishments to name a few were the marathon Election Transmission of 1970, Islamic Summit in 1974, and the famous song “Hum ta ba abad Sai o taghyur ka wali hein.”

He authored many books of which ‘This is PTV’ was the first book on the institution he served and so loved. Another of his famous book is “Hum Jeetay Gee Masroof Rehay” written on Faiz. Ahmad Faiz.

He produced umpteen plays for Pakistan Television and introduced many artists to the television industry. His play ‘Taleem-e-Balaghan’ is still considered an all seasons play. The famous series ‘Alif Noon’, is also named on his initials (‘A’ for Agha and ‘N’ for Nasir) his family members claimed.

Agha Nasir twice served as the Managing Director of PTV besides holding the positions of Director General Radio Pakistan, Managing Director National Film Development Corporation and Director General PNCA.

He also introduced the ‘National Film Awards’ and also launched morning transmission of the PTV.  His autobiography, ‘Agha say Agha Nasir Tak’ is under publication  and is expected to hit the markets in July this year the family sources told ‘The News’.

In addition to honoring Agha Nasir the CDA also re-named three other roads of the federal capital to pay respect and honor to our great martyrs, who laid down their lives in the on-going war on terror in the country.

The CDA Board approved renaming Service Road (West) F-8 as ‘Safwat Ghayur’ Shaheed Road. The brave Additional Inspector General of the KP, Sifwat Ghayur, who was martyred in a targeted suicide attack in Peshawar while he `was serving as the Commandant Frontier Constabulary in August 2010.

The ‘Double Road’ in front of Police Lines in Sector H-11 has been renamed as the ‘Captain Mobeen Shaheed Road’. The Deputy Inspector-General (Traffic) Lahore, Capt (r) Mobeen Shaheed, laid down his life in a suicide attack when he was negotiating with the protestors on the Mall Road of Lahore in February this year.

And the ‘Service Road’ of Sector D-12 has been renamed as ‘Aitzaz Hasan Shaheed Road’. Young Aitzaz Hassan sacrificed his life while preventing a suicide bomber from entering his school of 2,000 students at Ibrahimzai village of Hangu, on 6 January 2014.

The Mayor of Islamabad, Sheikh Anser Aziz, who also is the chairman of the CDA, while talking to ‘The News’ said that these roads have been re-named after these legendary figures and martyrs to acknowledge their services and sacrifices they had rendered to our great country and its people.

“This step is not just to acknowledge what they had done for us. But for our generations to come to learn and know when they come across these names as to what they have done to earn this honor,” Sheikh Anser Aziz said.