Malik Muhammad Arif

Malik Muhammad Arif (Urdu Punjabi Pashto Balochi Sindhi ملک محمد عارف )[December 9, 1948 - April 16, 2010] was born in Quetta Pakistan. His father Malik Ghulam Hussain Awan, who belonged to Sialkot had migrated to Quetta in 1936 during Bristih India rule. He belonged to Awan tribes. His early life was spent in Quetta Cantt. He completed his early education from Govt. Sandeman High School, Govt Technical High School Quetta and then Govt. Science College Quetta. He joined Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) in 1974 as lightman. After his career of about 30 years he died serving as News Cameraman/Journalist in a suicide bomb blast.

He has been great admirer of late Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto & was active member of PPP (Pakistan Peoples Party). After judicial assassination of ZA Bhutto he left the active politics but remained with party. During the Marshal's Law of military dictator Zia ul Haq, he raised his voice for freedom of his fellows who were imprisoned & sentenced for jail & lashes. He was successful to get his fellows to get out of those sentences. The twice elected Prime-minister & famous leader Benazir Bhutto always counted him in her close associates of Quetta.

During his career he served mostly for News & current affairs and traveled across the country. He also worked for various documentaries beside countless news and current affair programs. He was kidnapped in 1995 and kept in Kandhar for 2 months while travelling toward central Asian countries on official mission. He was also abducted and his camera was broken once when was shooting illegal Arms & Bodyguards in Quetta city. His career also includes service with Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), (Public relations agency of Pakistan Army) with them he participated in various operations in troubled areas and war zones. Military operations were his passion to work in, as he always volunteered himself to go on front-line. After end of his services he joined SAMAA TV in year 2008. Beside the various threats to his life he refused to leave Quetta when almost 100,000 people had left Balochistan due to deteriorating law and order situation after assassination of Nawab Akbar Bugti in 2006.

Death

On Friday, April 16, 2010 at about 10H00 when he was covering death of target killed person in Civil hospital Quetta; he stopped a suspected person who was trying to enter in the mourning public and that person blew him up and caused his death on the spot. Lashker-e-Jhangvi a banned terrorist organisation accepted the responsibility for this attack. Witness reveal that number of killing would have been much higher if Arif had not stopped that person entering in premises of that hospital's building. People of Quetta city and journalists across the country mourned his death and protested against terrorism. He is survived by 4 sons, a daughter and a widow. President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, MQM Chairman Altaf Hussain and Sindh Information Minister Shazia Marri have expressed great sorrow on Malik Arif's death.