Khaled Ahmed (writer)
Khaled Ahmed (1943–2024) was a journalist, writer from Lahore, Pakistan. He received the Presidential Pride of Performance Medal in 2013.[1][2]
Early life and education
[edit]He was born in Jalandhar, Punjab on 21 December 1943. After the Partition of India, he moved to Lahore, settling in Zaman Park. He graduated from the Government College Lahore in 1965, and later the University of the Punjab, while also earning diplomas in German and Russian language (Moscow University, 1970).[1][3][4]
Career
[edit]Before starting his career as a diplomat in Pakistan's Foreign Service in 1969, Khaled Ahmed had a brief stint with Sohail Ifthikar's Nigarishat Publishers, where he helped translate Niccolao Manucci's Storia Do Mogor (Mogul India; 1653-1708) to Urdu.[5][6]
After leaving the Foreign Services, he wrote several books and wrote for The Pakistan Times, The Nation, The Frontier Post, Daily Times, The Friday Times, Newsweek (Pakistan), and most recently Pakistan Standard, where he was the Consulting Editor.[7]
From 1991 to 1993, he was part of the Founding team of the India-Pakistan Neemrana Dialogue, Track Two Diplomacy.[8] Between 2010 and 2013, he served as the Director of South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA).[9]
Writings
[edit]Ahmed authored 20 books,[5] mainly on socio-political issues of Pakistan.[10]
- Pakistan: Behind the Ideological Mask, 2011, published by Vanguard Books Lahore
- Sectarian War : Pakistan's Sunni-Shia Violence and Its Links to the Middle East, 2011 published by Oxford University Press, Pakistan, written while at Woodrow Wilson Center, Washington D.C
- Sleepwalking to Surrender: Dealing with Terrorism in Pakistan, 2016 published by Penguin Books, UK
- Pakistan's Terror Conundrum, 2020, Penguin Books
Awards
[edit]- Best Book of the Year Award, Academy of Letters Islamabad (2012)
- Presidential Pride of Performance Medal, (2013)[10]
Death
[edit]On November 17, 2024, Khaled Ahmed succumbed to a cardiac arrest.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Khaled Ahmed, renowned journalist, passes away". The Express Tribune. 2024-11-18. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
- ^ "'One Of Pakistan's Best Minds': Veteran Journalist, Intellectual Khaled Ahmed Passes Away". The Friday Times. 2024-11-18. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
- ^ "Noted writer, intellectual Khaled Ahmed passes away". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
- ^ "Khaled Ahmed". Daily Times. 2024-11-18. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
- ^ a b Aijazuddin, F. S. (2024-11-21). "Romancing the word". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
- ^ "Requiescat in pace, Dearest K". The Friday Times. 2024-11-19. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
- ^ "In Memoriam: Khaled Ahmed". Pakistan Standard. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
- ^ "Khaled Ahmed". www.libertybooks.com. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
- ^ "Advisory board". Pak Institute For Peace Studies Pvt Ltd. (PIPS). Retrieved 2024-11-22.
- ^ a b "Khaled Ahmed". Penguin Random House India. Retrieved 2024-11-22.