Biography/Obituary of Legendary Journalist Akmal Aleemi
Syed AKMAL ALEEMI was a Pakistani-American, multimedia, legendary journalist, reporter, columnist, newspaper editor, author of books, professor of journalism, television telecaster and the Voice of America (VOA) Urdu Radio broadcaster. He lived in Washington DC, Arlington, Alexandria, Lorton-Fairfax, Dale City, and Lake Ridge, Woodbridge, Virginia, USA, from 1973 to 2021 (48 years), and resided in Lahore, Pakistan, from 1931 to 1973 (42 years). Mr. Akmal Aleemi naturally and peacefully passed away to Heaven at the age of about 90 (1931-2021) on Sunday, 31 January 2021, due to his heart attack (Myocardial Infarction) at the Sentara Medical Center hospital in Woodbridge, Virginia, USA. His wife, 3 sons and a large family live in Northern Virginia, USA; Canada; and Pakistan.
Indeed, Akmal Aleemi was an encyclopedia, an institution, and an icon or pillar of Urdu, Punjabi, English journalism and literature.
Society of Urdu Literature (SOUL) USA Tributes to Pakistani-American Legendary Journalist Syed Akmal Aleemi – SOUL TV Video:
During the past 35 years, from 1973 to 2008, Akmal Aleemi worked as a Senior Editor, Reporter, Feature Writer, Producer and International Broadcaster of the Voice of America Urdu Radio service in Washington, DC, USA. He anchored the VOA Radio’s wonderful three feature programs: Roundtable forum, Islam in America, and Life in America. He regularly wrote news reports and articles about Pakistan, other Asian nations and America for the VOA news service and the UrduVOA.com Website. He travelled to many countries of Asia, Arab East, Africa and Europe for his research, reporting and broadcasting assignments during his 70 years long journalism career.
Journalist Aleemi earned the VOA special award in September 1998, which reads: “United States Information Agency (USIA) – Voice of America (VOA) Superior Accomplishment Award is granted to Akmal Aleemi for your long standing contributions to the NEA & SCA divisions and the House in covering Congressional affairs, as well as various aspects of Muslim society and culture in the U.S., and the interactions of the American Muslim community with other religious groups in interfaith activities. – Moazzam Siddiqi, Director, South and Central Asia Division, Voice of America (VOA), Washington, DC.”
Editor Aleemi received the VOA special certificate in November 2003, which states: “Voice of America official recognition and appreciation are tendered to Akmal Aleemi for completion of 30 years of service with the United States Government. – David S. Jackson, Director, Voice of America (VOA), Washington, DC.”
Mr. Aleemi’s US Government retirement award shield states: “International Broadcasting Bureau – Presented to Akmal Aleemi Upon Retirement in Grateful Recognition of 35 Years of Service to the Government of the United States of America – July 31, 2008.”
On his VOA retirement day, Journalist Akmal Aleemi told his son, Journalist Syed Adeeb Aleemi, that “a real, professional, truthful journalist – who always writes, speaks and tells the whole truth to all his readers, listeners, or viewers – never ever retires.”
Before joining the VOA in 1973, Akmal Aleemi worked as the Chief Reporter and a Columnist of the daily Imroz Urdu newspaper, which was published from Lahore, Pakistan. He wrote the famous, daily Harf-o-Hikayat (Words & Stories) column – and the popular ‘Ye Lahore Hai’ (This is Lahore) column – of the daily Imroz for many years. He was a Reporter for Afaq, Ehsaan, Tarjuman and Tasneem newspapers. He also served as a Writer for the Punjab Government’s Information & Culture Department.
Information Press, daily Imroz, The Pakistan Times, The Muslim, The Post, The Friday Times, The News International, daily Pakistan, daily Dunya, weekly Dunya International, The Tribune, the USIA Panorama magazine, and many other newspapers, magazines, publications and websites have also published thousands of news reports, columns and articles written by this professional journalist.
Akmal Aleemi – the informative, educative and reformative writer – was a great, most-read Columnist of several Pakistani newspapers including the daily Imroz, The Pakistan Times, The Friday Times, the daily Pakistan, and the daily Dunya publications of Pakistan. He also worked as the Editor and a Columnist of the Dunya International, a weekly Urdu-English newspaper published from Maryland and New York, USA.
Broadcaster Akmal Aleemi anchored the Pakistan Television’s (PTV) popular TV series, Ham Log (We the People), and broadcasted his educational commentaries through the Radio Pakistan. He has interviewed many eminent persons, public figures and senior government officials of Pakistan, South Asia and the USA, including former President & Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and ex-President & Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He also anchored live telecast of the meeting between Pakistan’s ex-Prime Minister Bhutto and ex-U.S. President Gerald R. Ford at the White House, which was aired by Pakistan Television (PTV) and America’s CBS News. The illustrious journalist has covered the White House, U.S. State Department, U.S. Congress, United Nations, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Kashmir, Afghanistan, South Asia and the United States of America (USA).
Journalist Akmal Aleemi received the Pakistani American Press Association (PAPA) USA lifetime journalism achievements award in 2018. Mr. Aleemi earned the Soul Star Award/Medal 2017 of the Society of Urdu Literature (SOUL) USA. He won the Pakistani American Congress and Pakistan Links community information & education awards. He was an active participant in the literary conferences of the Halqa-e Arbab-e Zauq Virginia and the community meetings of the Washington Policy Analyses Group. He was also honored with numerous journalism and literary awards in Pakistan.
On 05 February 2011, Akmal Aleemi celebratred the 100th Birthday of his dear friend, Pakistani legendary poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz, at the Halqa-e-Arbab-e-Zauq Shomali Amrika (HAZSA) [Literary Friends Network of North America] 61st meeting held in Woodbridge, Virginia, USA.
Akmal Aleemi’s noted essay about the role of journalism in Pakistan freedom movement and nation-building has been published in the Punjab University’s Urdu Encyclopaedia of Islam, Pakistan Chapter, Vol. 5, pages 545-555. The Urdu Encyclopaedia of Islam is a great literary achievement of the Punjab University. It is an endeavor to produce a resource book of authentic nature on Islamic topics in the Urdu language. It consists of 24 volumes (26 parts), covering 9,773 topics, spread over 19,784 pages.
Akmal Aleemi inspired a writer and a publisher to write and publish a comprehensive commentary on the Quran. Maktaba Jadeed Press (Lahore) CEO and Publisher Rasheed Ahmed Chaudhary has written in his introduction of Tafseer-e-Fazli, a Commentary on the Holy Quran, that chief of Fazli Foundation (Lahore) Muhammad Ashraf Fazli wrote this Quran commentary – which was narrated by Hazrat Fazal Shah (1878-1978), a great scholar of Islam – and Mr. Chaudhary published it after reading a literary essay of Mr. Aleemi about Mr. Shah, headlined ‘House of Enlightenment – Where Action is a Witness of Expressions’, which was published in the daily Imroz.
In the Tafseer-e-Fazli, Rasheed Ahmed Chaudhary wrote in Urdu: ‘Readers, who were aware of the literary status of Mr. Akmal Aleemi, highly respected and deeply appreciated his daily Imroz article. After reading the literary essay of Mr. Aleemi about Hazrat Fazal Shah, many people traveled to the home (renowned as Noor Walun Ka Dera) of Fazal Shah in Mustafabad (Dharampura) Lahore, Pakistan, to meet with Mr. Shah and to seek education, knowledge, enlightenment, salvation and self-reformation.’ The Tafseer-e-Fazli – a prestigious book of wisdom and knowledge about Allah (God), Prophet Muhammad, Quran, Islam and Islamic History – has been printed in 5 Urdu and 5 English volumes.
Mr. Aleemi was a Congressional Fellow, sponsored by the American Political Science Association (APSA). He worked at the U.S. Congress from 1971 to 1973 under U.S. Rep. Frank Bradford Morse (R-MA), the late Under Secretary General for Political & General Assembly Affairs at the United Nations, and former U.S. Congress Member Bill Richardson (D-NM), ex-U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, ex-Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy and ex-Governor of New Mexico, USA.
After earning his Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in the Urdu Language Literature and Journalism from the University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan, Akmal Aleemi served as a Lecturer in Journalism at the Punjab University’s Institute of Communication Studies (ICS), formerly called Department of Mass Communication and Department of Journalism. He received his Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Political Science, History and English Literature from the Punjab University.
Mr. Aleemi was an honorary examiner of Ph.D. studies in journalism & mass communication, and an honorary panelist for the assessment of applications/papers of the candidates for the positions of Professor, Assistant Professor and Lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, previously known as the Department of Journalism, University of Karachi, Pakistan.
Ten Urdu and English books of Akmal Aleemi include: 1. Lahore Writers (Lahore Kay Ahlay Qalam – Sang-e-Meel Publications), 2. Mecca Diary (Sang-e-Meel Publications), 3. The Siege of Mecca (Vanguard Books), 4. Islam in America (Jang Publishers Press), 5. Passenger of the New World (Nai Dunya Ka Musafir – Sheikh Ghulam Ali & Sons Publishers), 6. Third Woman (Tesari Aurat), 7. Barren Lands (Banjer Kheth), 8. Journalist’s News & Articles, 9. VOA Reports, 10. Akmal Aleemi Autobiography, which are preserved at the U.S. Library of Congress and in the databases or libraries of his book publishers.
Funeral-Burial: Syed Akmal Aleemi was buried at the Mount Comfort Cemetery at 2:00 PM on Thursday, 04 February 2021, located at 6600 South Kings Highway, Alexandria, Virginia 22306 USA. His Islamic funeral prayers (Namaz-e-Janaza) was held at 1:00 PM at the Mount Comfort Cemetery. His Muslim funeral arrangements were made by the Janazah Services LLC of Chantilly, Virginia.
A comprehensive biography – a new book in English and Urdu languages – about Mr. Syed Akmal Aleemi – written by Journalist Syed Adeeb Aleemi – will be published in 2022.
Akmal Aleemi (right-side) wearing blue shirt, and Journalist Tahir Hanfi.
Akmal Aleemi
NON-FICTION: THE JOURNALISM WE LOST
Daily Pakistan newspaper Editorial about most-read Columnist Akmal Aleemi.
Press Media Group – http://www.AkmalAleemi.net – 2021 – Virginia, USA.
AKMAL ALEEMI 
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