London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 19, 2025

Aamir Liaquat Hussain: Pakistan's shock televangelist dies at 50

Aamir Liaquat Hussain: Pakistan's shock televangelist dies at 50

One of Pakistan's most prominent and contentious TV hosts, Aamir Liaquat Hussain, has died aged 50 after being found unconscious at home in Karachi.

The anchor was taken to hospital but pronounced dead on arrival. A post mortem exam is being carried out.

Aamir Liaquat Hussain switched from televangelism to politics, becoming an MP for Imran Khan's PTI party.

His career was dogged by controversy - he gave babies to childless couples on TV and was banned for hate speech.

The outspoken anchor's personal life was public fodder too, often fuelled by his activities on social media.

In the last chapter of his life, he married for a third time but it ended publicly and acrimoniously within months. His 18-year-old bride Dania Shah filed for divorce in May, accusing him of domestic abuse and being a drug addict.

Hussain released a video calling the marriage a "fiasco" and dismissing the allegations as fake news - but he also referred to being depressed by the things said about him on social media after all he had done for Pakistan and vowed to leave the country.

Aamir Liaquat Hussain was known for his TV giveaways


Aamir Liaquat Hussain, who worked for many of Pakistan's leading media houses over his career, was undoubtedly popular with a section of the population but many others found him highly divisive.

An eloquent speaker and a great showman who guaranteed ratings, his broadcasts were well scripted, and included religious sermons - as well as frequent abuse.

There were regular complaints from those whom the televangelist named and shamed on his shows. He would accuse people of acts such as blasphemy, treachery or fornication.

In September 2008, he dedicated an entire programme to exploring the beliefs of the Ahmadis, a sect who identify themselves as Muslim and follow the teachings of the Koran but are regarded by orthodox Muslims as heretical.

In it, two scholars said that anyone who associated with false prophets was "worthy of murder". Within 24 hours of the broadcast, a prominent member of the Ahmadi community was shot dead in the small town of Mirpur Khas in Sindh province.

The outspoken anchor will also be remembered for sexist remarks about liberal women in Pakistan - often artists, authors or human rights activists.

Quiz shows and product giveaways - cars, motorbikes and household electronics - were a big feature of his shows, and in 2013, even abandoned babies.

He insisted at the time that the move was aimed at giving infants a chance of a better life and was not simply an attempt to boost his ratings.

"We were already top of the ratings before we gave away a baby. We took these children from the garbage, from the trash, and delivered them to the needy people," Hussain said on his website, where he described himself as "truly a legend".


Symbol of hypocrisy and division


Abid Hussain, BBC Urdu, Islamabad

Aamir Liaquat Hussain was a truly larger-than-life figure who dominated the public consciousness here for two decades - both as an entertainment icon and the definitive symbol of modern Pakistani society's hypocrisy and divisions.

He found himself in the right place at the right time, at the intersection of religion, politics and showbiz. The televangelist was a game show host, a politician, an aspiring actor, a model and a brand ambassador. He also had his own clothing label.

His antics on his game shows evoked admiration and disgust in equal measure. He'd hand out prizes but was equally at ease delivering religious fatwas and issuing sometimes inciteful, sometimes false statements against journalists and others. Expletive-laden monologues were mixed with sermons on Islamic values on his programme on Geo TV, arguably the most popular religious show in Pakistan's TV history.

News of his death spread like wildfire - besides initial shock, the reaction was as divided as it had been to him while he was alive. Alongside condolences from political leaders, there was an outpouring of grief from thousands of his followers. But many Pakistanis aren't ready to refrain from speaking ill of the dead, and reminded others of his controversial statements and lurid past.

The TV host was a member of parliament from 2002 until 2008, when he was expelled by the MQM party. He served as the minister of state for religious affairs from 2004 to 2007 under then president Pervez Musharraf.

As a politician, he was involved in several rows. On one occasion, he was held hostage by students angry at his work criticising suicide bombings.

On another occasion, he declared British-Indian novelist Salman Rushdi as "worthy of death" - comments that eventually forced him to resign from parliament.

In 2018 he turned back to politics again, joining the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) party and became a member of the National Assembly again the following year.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
×