Veteran journalist and Geo -Nieuws Sport editor Syhammad Sufi, a distinguished voice in Urdu journalism and one of the most respected sports reporters in the country, died on Sunday after a long -term illness at the age of 80.
Sufi is survived by his wife, four sons and a large circle of students and colleagues who considered him a mentor and guide.
His funeral prayer will be offered today after ASR in Rehman Arabian Villas Mosque in Karachi.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi paid tribute to Syed Muhammad Sufi and said that his death marked the end of a golden era in sports journalism.
He praised the role of SUFI in promoting sports, especially Cricket, and noted that his journalistic contributions would be reminded with respect.
SUFI had worked with various newspapers and magazines, especially with Geo -Nieuws And Daily jangwith which he had been associated for more than three decades.
He was counted among the most senior members of the Karachi Press Club (KPC) and was considered a mentor for generations of journalists.
He started his career as a junior sub-editor and came from the eighties, when the noted journalist Nadir Shah Adil introduced him to cricket writer Munir Hussain, who offered him a position in his cricket magazine. It was here that Sufi left his mark with distinctive writing and controversial interviews.
Over the years he conducted interviews with some of Pakistan’s biggest cricketers, including Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Ramiz Raja, Waqar Younis, Moin Khan, Rashid Latif and Zakamam-Uhq.
During the State of General Zia-Ul-Haq in 1977, SUFI was arrested for his opposition against the regime and spent several months in Karachi and Sahiwal prisoners.
