Suraiya Shahab

Suraiya Shahab was a journalist, poet, and script-writer from Pakistan. She worked as a news presenter at Radio Pakistan, Pakistan Television, BBC Urdu, and German radio Deutsche Welle from the 1960s to the 1990s. She was born in 1945 in Karachi, Pakistan. She earned her Masters in journalism and political science. Later, she was also pursuing a Ph.D. in political science but dropped out after being diagnosed with cancer. She started her broadcasting career in the 1960s by voicing in dramas at Radio Pakistan, Karachi. Later, she was selected for a magazine program by Radio Iran Zahedan. The program became the reason for her success and fame. After spending over ten years in Zahedan, she returned to Pakistan in 1973 and became associated with Pakistan Television and Radio Pakistan until she was selected for BBC Urdu Service in 1984. In the 1990s, she moved to Germany and worked for many years for the German national radio Deutsche Welle. During her long stay in Frankfurt, she authored 2 novels, a collection of fiction, and a collection of poetry. She received several awards and honors for her work, such as the MBE, the Takeo Iwahashi Award, and the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz. She died of natural causes on September 13, 2019, at the age of 74.