By Mahjabeen Malik
Tariq Aziz was born on 28 April 1936 in Jalandhar, British India. Luckily, he was born into an educated family. His father Mian Abdul Aziz Pakistani was Arain by the cast and his mother belonged to Afghan tribe. Mian Abdul Aziz had started adding Pakistani with his original name since 1936 when Movement for Pakistan was formed in India. His early education started from Jalandhar in India but on the independence of Pakistan in 1947, his family shifted to Sahiwal (Montgomery) in Punjab Pakistan. Tariq Aziz continued his educational journey in Sahiwal, the city of Majeed Amjad and Munir Niazi the most famous poets of Pakistan. Mian Abdul Aziz issued the newspaper “ Sabeel-e-nau” from his house so the literary persons like Munir Niazi and Majeed Amjad were used to visit their home. However, Tariq Aziz was blessed with the company of such great legends from an early age.
Tariq Aziz headed towards Lahore for further education and a better future. Tariq Aziz associated with a newspaper initially but soon he seized the opportunity for sound recorded programmes at Radio Pakistan Lahore as God has bestowed him with a unique vocal. He was offered a job from Television in November 1964 from Lahore; however, his stunning face became the first visage that appeared on Pakistan Television (PTV). So he is known as the first male television face in Pakistan.
A brilliant career in Pakistani Films
Tariq Aziz has acted in more than 25 films; his first successful film was “Insaniyat” in 1968 then he starred in “Salgirah” in 1969 that became super hit film that won two Nigar Awards. His film Zindagi in 1978 became the second super hit film of Tariq Aziz. He also starred in another famous film “Haar Gaya Insaan”. Tariq Aziz has performed in several Pakistani films as a leading actor and side-roles in the late 1960s and 1970s.
Tariq Aziz has the honour of being first TV anchor and has achieved great love and respect by the people specifically by performing on the unique platform of the quiz show “ Neelam Ghar/Tariq Aziz Show”. He has conducted interviews of many eminent intellectuals, celebrities and sportspersons on his TV shows. Tariq Aziz has not only conducted quiz shows but he has also conducted game shows so he is the pioneer of game shows in Pakistan.
Recently, he participated as a guest in the game show Inaam Ghar in Pakistan and became the first person to do so. He won all prizes from the game show; later on, he has donated all these gifts to an organization that is serving for the welfare of destitute people. Tariq Aziz has planned telethons for charity purposes on TV. He has emerged on various television channels on their invitation.
Political Journey
Tariq Aziz joined started his political journey by joining Z.A Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) from his student life in a college. He was known as “firebrand socialist” for rousing the huge crowds with revolutionary slogans at Bhutto’s rallies. Nonetheless, he left the party later on and went back to the world of entertainment. Nonetheless, he joined Pakistan Muslim League (N) in 1996 and became the member of National Assembly from Lahore. Unluckily, he was charged with attacking the building of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 1997.
When General Pervez Musharaf took hold of the country and became the President of Pakistan, Tariq Aziz joined Pakistan Muslim League (Q). He could not succeed in attaining any eminent position in the party however he bade farewell to Politics and came again to the world of entertainment. This time he could not form any prominent domain in the world of entertainment due to the competition among the plethora of new TV channels in Pakistan. As after 2002, many new channels started emerging on TV in Pakistan, so it became tough for him to achieve as much fame as he has achieved in his early period of a career in the horizon of entertainment. Tariq Aziz has reigned over TV for more than 3 decades expediently.
He is more energetic and famous than Larry King according to Suhail Varaich. Tariq Aziz believes in struggle and hard-work as he says that only fate is nothing but he doesn’t negate the importance of fate. Tariq Aziz has God gifted personality, strong memory and ideal facial expressions with a solid body structure. Along with that, he has been working hard to make his future bright as he is an enthusiastic person by nature. He has been a highly paid anchor in Pakistan. His salary was 4lac per show on Television Screen. Tariq Aziz said, “I took 10 lac for one hour show and charged extra money for extra minutes”. He is strict in following rules and is an honest person.
Personal Life
Tariq Aziz’s spouse belongs to a Pathan family who lives in Peshawar. Despite being a famous figure in the world of entertainment, Tariq Aziz has no scandal in his life. The couple had only one son who passed away in childhood. Nevertheless, Tariq Aziz is happy with God’s will and he has never thought about the second marriage. However, being a philanthropist, he loves all children in Pakistan and in his testation he has donated all his wealth to the organization that is serving for the welfare of destitute people.
Tariq Aziz’s Recent Residency
Now Tariq Aziz is 83 years old and he is living in a capacious house situated in Garden Town Lahore. In his house, he has a vast collection of books as he is a true book lover. His friendship with books is very old and he says that a bookless house is the worst place to live. He keeps visiting “Dar-ul-Shafqat” at Yateem Khana Chowk in Lahore and distributes gifts among destitute children. Tariq Aziz is seriously thinking about the renovation and extension of the building Dar-ul-Shafqat. Tariq Aziz is a multi-talented person; he is a philanthropist, politician, poet, anchor, and an actor. May he live so long and healthy life. He is a true role model for the young generation.
