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    Nausheen Masud: A Woman of Many Parts

    Written by: Muhammad Suhayb
    Posted on: December 08, 2023 | | 中文

    It was 14 February 2004, a Valentine's Day-themed morning show was being aired on Pakistan’s first private satellite television channel, Indus News. As a member of a two-man Sports Desk, I was in the makeshift newsroom, constantly pressing F5 on my keyboard hoping to get an update from ‘htcricket.com’, a website I often visited. Suddenly, a major news flashed, Breaking News. With no bulletin in sight, the problem rose how to break it. Those were the days when Geo News was functioning in full swing, and it was a very popular news channel. ‘Why hasn’t Geo played the news with a breaking bulletin’, was my first thought, but the news editor allowed me to give the content to the host during a hurriedly arranged ‘break’. I simply picked a paper, wrote 5 words ‘India is coming, Vajpayee agrees’ and handed it over to the host, the veteran Nausheen Masud.

    Nausheen Masud (extreme right) with friends on a tour to interior Sindh

    Being around for over a decade, she knew the importance of the news, the history of the rivals and the treatment required. Nausheen treated it as a victory of her own, rather than Indus News’ ‘beating its rival channel’. In just a few minutes, it turned into a context-driven, crisp India’s Valentine's gift to Pakistan. The Indian Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had given the go-ahead for the Indian cricket team’s ice-breaking cricket tour to Pakistan. Geo entered the scene quite late, and the story that instantly came up was celebrated in the newsroom after the show. Nausheen Masud was a one-woman army, who excelled in all departments. She knew the news operations, was in love with production and was a master of ceremonies. I learnt the importance of being calm and composed that day from the ‘Iron-lady’ of electronic media.

    Many like me saw her in Junaid Jamshed’s song Awaara Koi Sapna Tha in 1994, for the very first time. Nausheen Masud fresh from college, was a by-product of NTM, the groundbreaking private channel that revolutionized television. She joined NTM as an associate producer for a children’s show, and soon caught the eyes of Ghazanfar Ali, a.k.a Baba, who was heading Combine Productions, which produced television shows for NTM. She soon became part of the team that produced Music Channel Charts, and appeared as a ‘VJ’ for Pepsi Top of the Pops. Both shows were widely watched in days of ‘Dish Antenna’, and Nausheen’s gentle smile and presence won her many fans. She became a household name and was behind the success of upcoming bands and singers: Strings, Fringe Benefits, Shahzad Roy and Amir Zaki to name a few. Amir Zaki’s Mera Pyar Tumhi Ho was directed by her, among others.

    Nausheen (extreme right) with her college friends

    She had an excellent fashion sense, as was evident from watching the three seasons of the show Andaz Apna Apna that she hosted. As a producer, she had a finger on the viewer's pulse and as a director for music videos, rarely crossed the line. She started out as ‘head of programming’ at Indus, when there was no precedent for setting up a satellite channel in Pakistan. She was the reason why Ghazanfar Ali opted for a separate Music Channel, Indus Music. ‘IM’ became the launch pad for Pakistan's thriving music industry and brought about a revolution in popular music. Nausheen was the brain behind the productions and planning of events. It was converted into MTV afterwards, and is remembered as the favorite music channel to date.

    Nausheen was an excellent mentor for young boys and girls, who were hit by the MTV mania. Dozens of protégés wept at her death and miss the days they served under her at the MTV, Pakistan. They still remember her encouragement, support and charisma. Mahira Khan, Syra Yusuf, Ali Safina and Sanam Saeed, started out as VJs for MTV Pakistan, and have developed into accomplished actors.

    Nausheen Masud and Mahira Khan

    As an occasional actor, Nausheen appeared in many episodes of Mystery Theatre on NTM, Pakistan’s first soap Jaal and with film actor Nadeem, in his television debut Bisaat. She was there in the role of a student in Jamil Dehalvi’s Jinnah (1998), where Hollywood legend Christopher Lee played the central role.

    When Ghazanfar Ali started the ‘Indus’ channels, she was there to execute his ideas. She remained Baba’s girl Friday for over a decade, and was instrumental in launching Pakistan's first news, drama and music channels. In 2004, she moved to Sunbiz, the first business and stock market focused channel in Pakistan, and worked round the clock, establishing reliable production and programming teams. Creating the programming software was like a walk in the park for her, as she was picked up by CNBC Pakistan, country’s first international franchised channel. She executed successful show formats like Awam ki Awaz, Aap Ka paisa, Stock Guru and the celebrity shows. As the Channel Head at Play TV, she used all the experience from Indus, and took it to the top in its genre in Gross Rating Points (GRP). The same story followed at Health TV and Hum TV's Style 360, a channel dedicated for Fashion and lifestyle.

    Nausheen (extreme left) with the team of Style 360

    She was also appearing in dramas despite all her other activities and commitments. Many people remember her in Colony 1952 and Ghar Tu Akhir Apna Hai. She last appeared in Geo TV’s serial Dolly ki Ayegi Baraat as Saba in 2010. One of her last projects were Pakistan Idol and Sur Ka Safar as a creative director in 2015. Since then, she cut down her work as she was found to be suffering from bone cancer. She died on Dec 6th, 2023, after 30 years in the media, a news that saddened her fans and the entertainment industry alike.

    Nausheen Masud with Sultana Siddiqui and a team member at a fashion show

    She arrived into the world of television, when Pakistan media was undergoing through a transformation. There were no private channels and no one to show her the ropes, yet she passed all tests with flying colors. Everyone who had come in contact with her was upset and had a very favorable and encouraging story to tell.


    As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.

    Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.

    Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.

    YOULIN magazine is dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and is a window for Pakistani friends to learn about China, especially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of China and Pakistan, YOULIN can listen more to the voices of readers in China and Pakistan, better play its role as a bridge to promote more effectively people-to-people bond.

    Last but not least, I would like to wish all the staff and readers of YOULIN a warm and prosper year in 2021.

    Nong Rong Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
    The People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
    January 2021