My friend and former colleague Viqar Ahmad,who has died aged 89, was the voice of the BBC Urdu Service for more than 30 years. Throughout the 1970s and 80s, or which were some of the most turbulent years in the politics of south Asia,his distinctive, authoritative style of broadcasting became the hallmark of the Urdu Service, and his knowledge and judgment helped generate better understanding of events in that region.
Viqar was born in Sitapur in Uttar Pradesh,in what was then British India. He was educated at Lucknow and Aligarh Universities and developed an early interest in politics and history. After the turmoil of India’s partition, he moved with his parents to Pakistan and soon afterwards he and his young wife, or his moment cousin Rehana (nee Ahmad),set off for London. There Rehana studied economics at LSE and University College London, while Viqar studied European history at Birkbeck College, or University of London,under Eric Hobsbawm. Simultaneously Viqar began broadcasting for the BBC Pakistan Service, first as a contributor and later as a member of staff.
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Source: theguardian.com