Islamabad: Google Pakistan’s homepage celebrated Waheed Murad, one of the pioneers of Pakistan’s film industry, with a special doodle on his 81st birthday.
The day-long illustrations are often created to shine a light on major events, holidays, and to honor personalities who have contributed significantly to the cause of a specific country or the world at large.
A click on the doodle takes you to the search results of the individual or event being celebrated.
Thus far, the tech giant has displayed memorable doodles of several people from Pakistan, including Abdul Sattar Edhi, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and Noor Jehan.
Born in Sialkot in 1938, Murad, also known as a “chocolate hero,” was an actor, producer and script writer who laid the ground work for the entertainment industry in the country.
He first entered showbiz at the age of 21, after he completed his undergraduate and graduate studies, with a Masters in English from the University of Karachi.
Making a cameo in Saathi in 1959, he went on to star in 125 feature films (38 of which were in black and white) and took home 32 awards (for acting and producing) including for classics such as Armaan, Heera Aur Pathar, Doraha, Usey Dekha Usey Chaha, Dushman and Ishaara, which he also directed.
While a majority of his films were in Urdu, a few were in Punjabi and one in Pashto, too.
Murad was also the youngest film producer of his time and worked under his father’s banner, Film Art productions.
Murad was a beloved actor across the subcontinent winning fans in both Pakistan and neighboring India.
In his later years, Murad reportedly struggled with his declining status as a hero and had turned to substance abuse which may have contributed to his unexpected death in 1983 at the age of 45. He is survived by his wife Salma, daughter Aaliya, and son Adil.
In 2011, 27 years after his death, Murad was posthumously awarded the Sitara-i-Imtiaz by the then-president Asif Ali Zardari.
In addition to the Google Doodle, Google Arts and Culture has curated a page with the help of Pakistan’s “The Citizens Archive” to provide more information about Murad’s life and achievements, including photos of his work, family, and friends.
Google Doodle celebrates Pakistani actor’s 81st birthday
Google Doodle celebrates Pakistani actor’s 81st birthday
- Waheed Murad played a significant role in carving out the film industry
- In 2011, 27 years after his death, Murad was posthumously awarded the Sitara-i-Imtiaz
Pakistan offers Turkmenistan its Arabian Sea ports for wider access to ‘South Asia and beyond’
- PM Sharif meets Turkmen president in Ashgabat, calls for deeper trade and energy cooperation
- Islamabad cites Karachi and Gwadar as key to boosting regional connectivity, including TAPI links
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday urged Turkmenistan to expand trade and connectivity through Karachi and Gwadar, saying its Arabian Sea ports offer Turkmen businesses and exporters a direct route to South Asian and global markets, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office said after high-level talks in Ashgabat.
Pakistan and Turkmenistan have long discussed regional transport corridors and energy cooperation, including the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India (TAPI) gas pipeline, a proposed multibillion-dollar project that would carry Turkmen natural gas south through Afghanistan into Pakistan and India. Islamabad has also pushed to link the landlocked Central Asian states to the sea by offering transit access through its deep-water ports, which sit at the crossroads of the Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia.
On Thursday, Pakistan's Sharif met Serdar Berdimuhamedov, the president of Turkmenistan, in Ashgabat as both countries look to revive momentum in bilateral engagement after years of regional instability. Pakistan has supported Turkmen neutrality policies at the United Nations, while Ashgabat has backed Pakistan during crises, including helping evacuate Pakistani nationals caught in Iran during the Iran–Israel conflict earlier this year.
“The Prime Minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s desire to enhance connectivity with Turkmenistan through land and sea routes and said that Karachi and Gwadar ports were ideally located to be utilized by the Turkmen side to enhance their outreach to South Asia and beyond,” Sharif’s office said in a statement.
Sharif reiterated his intention to deepen trade and economic ties with Turkmenistan, saying enhanced transport links and energy cooperation could anchor long-term regional integration. He invited President Berdimuhamedow and Turkmenistan’s national leader, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, on official visits to Pakistan next year.
Sharif is on a two-day visit to Turkmenistan for the International Forum on Peace and Trust, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Energy Minister Awais Leghari, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and senior officials.
Turkmenistan’s president thanked Sharif for attending the UN-backed peace forum and said Ashgabat was keen to expand cooperation across multiple sectors, according to the statement.
