Kanwal Naseer aka Kanwal Hameed was born on January 23, 1943. Naseer was Pakistan’s first female announcer, first female newscaster, first female host, first female drama artist and first female producer.
She represented Pakistan’s culture in 16 countries with the same elegance which was part of her personality. Her mother Mohini Hameed was a broadcaster and actress who was awarded Sitara-i-Imtiaz twice.
Another distinction for Kanwal was that she was the youngest member of the television founding team. She started in radio at the age of seven and started in television at the age of 16.
She was the one who spoke to viewers along with Tariq Aziz during the first-ever transmission of PTV, saying the iconic lines ‘Yeah Pakistan Television Hai. Kanwal Naseer made her first announcement at the PTV on 26th November 1964.
She was an anchor who didn’t use a single English word if she spoke in Urdu, and vice versa if she was speaking in English or Punjabi. This was a special distinction that was held by Kanwal Naseer.
Naseer was given the ‘Pride of Performance Award’ by President Pervez Musharraf while President Mamnoon Hussain presented the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ and also organised an event of tribute in her honour. Kanwal’s name was also recommended for ‘Sitara-e-Imtiaz’.
She passed at 73 after suffering from diabetes and being admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for 3 days. She died on March 25, 2021, in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Kanwal Naseer, the recipient of the Lifetime Achieving Award, is survived by her son Ali Naseer and three daughters – Saman Jawad, Shazaeh Naseer and Maniha Naseer – to mourn her death.
In her final days, she played the role of a grandmother for a drama serial, which is currently being shown on a TV channel. Haseena Moin was writing a role for Kanwal Naseer in her next drama serial, but they both left this world.
She was not just a role model, but also a symbol of grace, style, poise, and elegance. “From the age of perhaps seven, I was placed in front of the mic to be the voice of a princess in almost every radio story aired for children. We were a family of modest means but the wealth of culture and intellectuality was in abundance,” Kanwal Naseer shared in an interview.
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