Editorial
A tribute to Obaidul Huq
He was the last of a vanishing breed
OBAIDUL Huq who traversed close to six decades of journalism in these parts, leaving his indelible imprint on it, is no more. He had been associated with Bangladesh Observer since its founding days as Pakistan Observer under the able leadership of eminent editor late Abdus Salam. He went on to become the editor of the influential daily in 1972.
He was a professional with a difference. He was a scholarly journalist of rare calibre and integrity. He was revered and respected both by his peers and juniors alike. As much as a stickler he was for quality and high professionalism he was also full of humour and guided his juniors in an environment of amiability and friendliness. He had a very exalted sense of journalistic perfection and wouldn't even put up with printing mistakes, far less factual or conceptual errors.
Obaidul Huq was indeed a man of multifaceted talent. Once he even tried his hand in film making but he would be mostly remembered for his witty, saucy and insightful columns.
He lived to be 96 years of age and right through the last days of his life he remained agile and had something to offer, not just to the profession of journalism but the society at large which was gripped by moral degeneracy.
With the departure of Obaidul Huq the nation has lost not just a journalist but also a man of substance, knowledge and integrity that is rare to find these days. The vacuum created by his departure would be hard to fill in.
Let his spirit live amongst us forever. This paper joins the entire nation in paying a glorious tribute to Obaidul Huq. May his soul rest in peace.
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