Zahid Malik

Zahid Malik (October 5, 1937 – September 1, 2016), was a Pakistani journalist, civil servant, and writer, who was the founder and editor-in-chief of Pakistan Observer.^[2][3] He was also the founder-chairman of the think tank '101 Friends of China', a non-governmental organisation aimed towards improving Pakistan–China ties.^[2]

Zahid Malik
Born	October 5, 1937 Sialkot, Pakistan
Died	September 1, 2016(2016-09-01) (aged 78) Islamabad, Pakistan
Resting place	Islamabad
Pen name	Prisoner# 2627
Occupation	Journalist and editor
Language	Urdu, English
Education	PhD in Philosophy
Period	1937–2016
Subject	Biographies, religious, philosophy
Notable works	Dr A.Q. Khan and the Islamic Bomb[1]
Notable awards	Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Crescent of Excellence) Award by the Government of Pakistan in 2024 (posthumously awarded) Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Star of excellence) Award by the President of Pakistan in 2012 First Prize from the Writers Guild of Pakistan
Children	4

Biography

Born on October 5, 1937, in a small village of Sialkot District,^[2][3][4] Malik belonged to a well-educated family. After he completed his graduation from Jinnah Islamia College Sialkot,^[4] Malik started his career as a civil servant. After his retirement as a joint secretary in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Malik launched a monthly Urdu news and views magazine Hurmat in 1980 and later started the English language daily Pakistan Observer. He was the Editor-in-Chief and publisher of the newspaper.^[2][3]

When he was arrested on charges of official secret act, he was labelled as prisoner number 2627. He later used this as his pen name and used it to refer to himself in the books he wrote about Dr. A.Q. Khan.^[1]

Malik was patron-in-chief of the Nazaria-e-Pakistan Council, chairman of the International Seerat Centre and the Foundation for Coexistence of Civilizations. He was also the founder-chairman of the think tank '101 Friends of China', a non-governmental organisation aimed towards improving Pak-China ties.^[2]

Views

Malik believed in Islamic ideology, and wrote several books on the topic, including Mazameen-e-Quran-e-Hakeem and Mazameen-e-Ahadith.^[2]

Pakistan Observer

The Pakistan Observer was founded on 1 November 1988, as an English daily newspaper from Islamabad. It later became the only newspaper which was being published from six different stations, including Lahore and Karachi too.

Malik was the founder and the first Editor-in-Chief of the Pakistan Observer. Following his death, his eldest son, Faisal Zahid Malik, assumed the editorship.^[2]

Awards and recognition

• Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Crescent of Excellence) Award by the Government of Pakistan in 2024 (posthumously awarded).^[5]
• Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence) Award by the President of Pakistan in 2012^[2][3]