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 launches final nationwide polio drive for 2025 amid rise in global cases
- Global polio tracking data shows Pakistan accounted for 30 of the world’s 39 cases in 2025, with remainder in Afghanistan
- Health authorities urge parents to cooperate with vaccination teams and ensure all children under five receive polio drops
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will launch its final nationwide polio vaccination campaign for 2025 from tomorrow, aiming to immunize more than 45 million children under the age of five, health authorities said on Sunday, as the country remains at the center of global efforts to eradicate the disease.
Global polio tracking data shows that 30 of the 39 confirmed wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases worldwide 2025 were reported in Pakistan, with the remainder in neighboring Afghanistan.
Pakistan recorded 74 polio cases in 2024, a sharp increase from six cases in 2023 and just one case in 2021, highlighting the volatility of eradication efforts in a country where misinformation, vaccine hesitancy and security issues have repeatedly disrupted progress.
“The final national polio campaign of 2025 will formally begin across the country from tomorrow,” Pakistan’s National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) said in a statement.
“During the campaign, polio drops will be administered to more than 45 million children nationwide,” it said, adding that the seven-day drive would run from Dec. 15 to Dec. 21.
The NEOC said more than 400,000 male and female polio workers would take part in the campaign, with vaccination targets including over 23 million children in Punjab, 10.6 million in Sindh, 7.2 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 2.6 million in Balochistan and smaller numbers in Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
“Protecting children from polio is a shared national responsibility,” the NEOC said. “Parents must fully cooperate with polio workers to secure the future of the nation.”
It urged families to ensure that all children under five years of age receive the required two drops of the vaccine during the campaign.
Pakistan has drastically reduced polio prevalence since the 1990s, when annual cases exceeded 20,000.
By 2018, the number had fallen to eight. But health authorities warn that without consistent access to children — particularly in high-risk and underserved regions — eradication will remain out of reach.
Violence has also hampered the program. Polio teams and their security escorts have frequently come under attack from militants in parts of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southwestern Balochistan.
Officials say continued security threats, along with natural disasters such as recent flooding, remain major obstacles to reaching every child.
