Acclaimed comedian, writer Athar Shah Khan passes away

KARACHI: Renowned Pakistani comedian and writer, Athar Shah Khan passed away in Karachi after suffering from a stroke on Sunday.

Born in the Indian city of Rampur, Athar Shah Khan arrived in Lahore in 1947 with his family when he was very young. He studied at different schools and colleges before doing his master’s in journalism from Punjab University.

Known popularly as Jaidi, Khan had been a famous name on television as well as in the literary circles of Pakistan, for the past several years. Athar Shah Khan, better known for his acting in TV, stage and radio plays and humorous poetry recital, had been a prolific writer.

His radio programme ‘Rung he rung, Jeddi kay sung’ ran for more than 19 years, a record no other commercial programme has broken yet.

He started his career at Radio Pakistan as a writer and had 700 plays over the course of 20 years, with his most popular serial being Jedi Ke Sang. He shot to fame with his iconic portrayal of Jaidi on PTV and NTM that was widely loved by the audience.

Some of his most popular works from the 1970s to 1990s include Intezar Farmaiay, Ba Adab Ba Mulahiza Hoshiyar, Lakhon Mein Teen and Haye Jaldi.