Aamir Liaquat Hussain was a dynamic and diverse person who shone brightly in both the political and entertainment worlds. Who was Aamir Liaquat Hussain?
He was a prominent political figure in Pakistan, a religious figure, a poet, and an anchor who dominated his day. His entire life has been spent in an unrelenting battle to be the most promising journalist and to advance through the power ranks thanks to his oratory and intellectual prowess.
After coming into the spotlight, he quickly established himself as the populace’s heartbeat thanks to his direct and unvarnished opinions on a variety of hot-button domestic and global issues. He developed a reputation as a dynamic and unrivaled statesman and speaker during his two-decade creative and political journey. In contrast to other renowned showbiz figures and seasoned politicians, he was known for thinking outside the box. It is accurate to claim that until his passing, the late Aamir Liaquat Hussain’s professional excellence and some conflicts and disagreements kept him in the headlines.
Who was Aamir Liaquat Hussain?
Looking back, Aamir Liaquat was born in Karachi on July 5, 1971. From 1997 until 1999, his father, Sheikh Liaquat Hussain, served as a member of the Pakistani National Assembly. After joining the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in 1994, he eventually gained a seat in 1997.
Aamir Liaquat Hussain was a radio jockey on FM 101 in addition to his achievements and honors. He has long served as the host of Ramadan transmissions, such as Suhur and Iftar. He started his TV career at PTV and was immediately let go due to his incompetence. In the smallest amount of time, he was unable to demonstrate his mettle. He didn’t seem to be negatively impacted by this initial humiliation and continued on his journey. He later began working as an anchorperson before hosting his debut programme on the Geo Television Network, where he stayed for more than eight years.
Following his stint with Geo, he joined ARY Digital Network in 2010 as Managing Director of QTV and Executive Director of ARY Digital. This is where he debuted his new show “Aalim Aur Aalam” on ARY Network. Furthermore, Ramadan special shows for Sahoor and Iftaar were the brainchild of Pakistan Electronic Media’s artistic genius, Aamir Liaquat Hussain.
His wonderful anchoring reached a pinnacle, he adopted an entirely new setup and layout, and he was dubbed “Rahman Ramadan” in 2011. Despite his unparalleled fame and popularity, he announced his departure from ARY Digital Network on June 21, 2011.
When Aamir Liaquat returned to Geo TV Network in June 2012, the turbulence in his professional life continued. He began anchoring a live game show called ‘Inaam Ghar’ on GEO Entertainment in January 2014. On June 20, 2014, he left GEO to become president and Group Editor of Daily Express at Express Media Group. During Ramadan, he was in charge of the live religious TV show Pakistan Ramazan and Alim On Air, which aired on Express Entertainment. He returned to Geo after the Ramadan transmission and hosted the morning show “Subh-e-Pakistan” at the time.
He then joined the BOL media group in 2016 and started hosting the current affairs talk show “Aisay Nahi Chalay Ga”. There, he hosted “Ramazan Mein BOL” in 2017, during which he also started hosting a game show; “Game Show Aisay Chalay Ga”. He left BOL in November 2017. Within a lapse of two years, he joined Pakistan Television Corporation in 2019. He was also offered to appear in specific movies on Kashmir Issues and Burhan Wani Shaheed in his career. In April 2020, he started hosting a game show called “Jeeway Pakistan” which airs on Express TV. Precisely, Aamir Liaquat Hussain worked in Pakistan’s leading TV channels and anchored highly rated programs but remained banned for a while for his bluntness and rashness.
He lived a very lively and proactive life as a person of political vibrancy. In 2005, he was attacked by enraged young people during a visit to Jamia Binoria in an attempt to rescue girls. In May 2005, as Minister of Religious Affairs, he also invited Pakistani religious scholars to issue a Fatwa on suicide violence. At that age, fifty-eight religious researchers made a declaration against suicide bombs, creating an affluent effect.
Aamir Hussain’s political career began in 2002 when he was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan for the first time on the platform of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement from NA-249 (Karachi-XI). In September 2004, he was named Minister of State for Religious Affairs, Zakat, and Ushr Division in the Shaukat Aziz government.
Aamir Liaquat Hussain served as Minister of Religious Affairs until July 4, 2007, when he was formally removed from the party over the Salman Rushdi Statements controversy. Later, he was publicly dismissed from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement for misusing party policy to forward his agenda, even though it contradicted the party’s beliefs.
He was also rated twice among the most influential 500 Mulims conducted by The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center in Amman, Jordan. Apart from this distinction, a Pakistani book, 100 Pakistanis: The Famous and Influential by Universal Oxford Publications has likewise included Aamir Liaquat Hussain and his factual conversation in the book.
Contrary to landmark achievements, he remained in the limelight news during the Fake Degree case when the University of Karachi and even HEC proclaimed his degree was not known. He also became notorious for allegations of provoking against Ahmedis in September 2008. Additionally, he became notorious and defamed after his workstation videotape exposed his real character and caliber in August 2011. In 2016, Aamir Liaquat Hussain was among the party leaders who were arrested by Sindh Rangers following an anti-Pakistan speech by MQM supremo Altaf Hussain.
The controversies seem never-ending for Aamir Liaquat Hussian. Just after elapsing some months, in January 2017, lawyer and human rights activist Jibran Nasir filed an FIR against TV anchor Aamir Liaquat Hussain and BOL TV network under the Anti-Terrorism Act for intimidating the public and spreading religious hatred. In TV Programs, he had accused him of being an atheist, a traitor who is an Indian Agent and is working against Pakistan and Pakistan Army, a blasphemer who insults and runs propaganda against Allah, the Holy Quran, and the Holy Prophet (S.A.W). He leveled similar allegations against Salman Haider, Ahmed Wacias Goraya, Asim Saeed, and Ahmed Raza Naseer. He also claimed that Om Puri was murdered. Following this, the PEMRA banned Hussain and his programme Aisay Nahi Chalay Ga on BOL News for preaching hate.
The most dismantling and embarrassing controversy was Nagin’s dance in a live show. Television host and politician Dr. Aamir Liaquat Hussain’s Nagin dance video was not well-received by the netizens, with the majority of social media users slamming him for his bizarre acts. Later, he responded confidently: “I do all things intentionally and not mistakenly, just to bring smiles to the faces of people in difficult times. He also made his way to the limelight as he hilariously grooved to the “Nagin” song on his show “Jeeway Pakistan”.
Sharing about his affiliation with PTI, Aamir Liaquat Hussain became a member of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in March 2018. In the 2018 Pakistani general election, he was re-elected to the National Assembly as a PTI candidate from NA-245 (Karachi East-IV) Constituency.
Commenting on their matrimonial background, Aamir Liaquat Hussian married thrice but remained in distress. He got two children — son Ahmed and daughter Dua — from first wife Syeda Bushra Iqbal whom he divorced in December 2021.
When Amir Liaquat filed his nomination papers for elections in June 2018, he announced his second marriage to Syeda Tuba Anwar, a corporate manager at Bol TV. This marriage lasted about three years, and after a months-long separation, Tuba filed for divorce (khula) from Aamir in February 2022.
Also read: ‘Those who think I married Aamir Liaquat for money and fame don’t know me’: Tuba Anwar
Unfortunately, his third and youngest wife, Dania Malik a.k.a. Dania Shah, proved to be lethal to his life. He died mysteriously on June 9, 2022. It is widely assumed that his latter days were clouded by scandals, divorces, and controversies, which not only harmed his mental health but also harmed his public image and reputation.
The FIA recently detained late Dr. Aamir Liaquat’s third wife, Dania Shah, from Lodhran, Punjab, and a judicial magistrate in Sindh remanded her to jail on judicial remand in the leaked video case. Dua Aamir, the late TV anchor’s daughter, had filed an FIR against Dania Shah under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, Sections 20 (malicious code), 21 (cyber stalking), and 24 (legal recognition of offenses committed in relation to information system).
Aside from these legal developments, Aamir Liaquat Hussain has left a lasting legacy for the next generation to explore and create their personalities in the entertainment sector.
