Radio Pakistan Peshawar’s services lauded on completion of 88th transmission anniversary
PESHAWAR (APP): The Radio Pakistan Peshawar’s invaluable services that touched people’s hearts since its establishment on March 6, 1935, have been highly praised by the speakers on completion of its 88th transmission anniversary celebrated with great enthusiasm here on Monday.
In this connection, an impressive function was held at Radio Pakistan Peshawar attended by Chief Minister’s special assistant for revenue, Syed Haroon Shah was chief guest. Besides others, the program was attended by the Station Director, Radio Pakistan Peshawar, Syeda Iffat Jabbar, former chairman International Relations Department, University of Peshawar, Professor Dr Adnan Sarwar Khan, senior broadcaster and academician Professor Dr Abaseen Yousafzai, serving and retired officers, artists, musicians, compares and poets in substantial numbers.
Being the oldest radio station of the subcontinent, Radio Pakistan Peshawar had started its transmission on March 6, 1935 from a room at secretariat here after great educationist Abdul Qayyum Khan had requested Radio’s inventor Guglielmo Maroni to establish a small radio transmitter at Peshawar. Marconi also donated a few radio sets for the station that were later distributed among people. Aslam Khan Khattak was first the station director of Radio Pakistan Peshawar.
Later, the station was shifted to a broadcasting house at Peshawar on July 16, 1942. Radio Pakistan Peshawar station has a unique distinction of announcing independence of Pakistan on midnight of August 13-14 by eminent broadcasters Aftab Ahmad in Urdu and Abdullah Jan Magmom in Pashto languages.
The national song of the renowned Urdu Poet Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi’s Pakistan Bananey Walay Pakistan Mubarak Ho’ (Congratulation to the creator of Pakistan for creating Pakistan” was the first national song sung by noted signer Peshawar Khan after creation of Pakistan from this historic radio station. Later, it was shifted to its existing four storey building having the facility of six studios and 350-seats auditorium.
In her welcome address, Syeda Iffat Jabbar, who is the first female station director and controller of Radio Pakistan Peshawar said it was the oldest radio station of the subcontinent, which has been providing quality education, information and entertainment programs to its hundreds of thousands listeners at their doorsteps.
She said Radio Pakistan Peshawar has a unique station from where eminent poets and writers including Ahmad Faraz, Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi, Khatir Ghaznavi, Abbasi Yousafzai, renowned Pashto singers and musicians, Khyal Muhammad, Mashooq Sultan, Ahmad Khan, Shakeela Naz, Hidyatullah, Sardar Ali Takkar, Rafiq Shinwari, drama, film and stage artists, Agha Talash, Firdus Jamal and others have started their professional careers.
Through its famous ‘Hindara’ program, it effectively highlighted Pakistan’s principled stand before the world after migration of millions of Afghan refugees following the USSR invasion in Afghanistan.
Radio Pakistan Peshawar has recently signed a memorandum of understanding agreement with Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University under which the former would provide technical support to the university for students education while the latter would use the platform of national broadcaster for people and female’s education through its programs.
Program Manager Abdul Majeed Baloch while reading out the message of Radio Pakistan’s Director General Tahir Hassan said that all the required facilities would be provided to this station to bring more improvement in programs in the wake of the era of digitalization.
Abdul Majeed Baloch presented the last year performance report of the station and said that due to efforts of DG Tahir Hassan and Station Director Syeda Iffat Jabbar, its programs were digitalized and new talent was being introduced to cater modern days’ requirements.
The beautification of Radio Pakistan Peshawar has been completed on a self-help basis and its mobile unit during last year’s flood has played an excellent role in people’s mobilization besides bringing improvement in overall facilities here.
The function was also addressed by former controller PTV Tahir Mahmood, eminent poet Professor Dr Abassin Yousafzai and others. The participants also applauded a musical program of the local artists.
