Anis Mirza

ANIS MIRZA
Jan. 4, 1928 - Mar. 14, 2018 A pioneer woman journalist in Pakistan with a career that spanned nearly 60 years, passed away peacefully at her home in Manhattan at age 90.
She was the daughter of Asma and Ghulam Ali Mandviwalla, born and raised in British India with her five siblings. She was educated at Forman Christian College Lahore, where she received a BA in English Literature and subsequently, at Punjab University where she received an MA in English. She started her career at the BBC, broadcasting from a tent in 1946 in war-ravaged London. Upon her return home, she joined Radio Pakistan where she served as an award-winning newscaster for more than 15 years.
Anis' impeccable English writing and distinguished journalistic skills were in a class by themselves. In 1960, at the request of then Editor-in-Chief, she joined the daily newspaper, Dawn, where she spent the rest of her career as a political correspondent until her retirement in the late 1990s. Her regular column "From the Press Gallery" always depicted parliamentary proceedings and political events in skillfully crafted words that resulted in her column becoming the most widely read in any English newspaper in Southeast Asia at the time.
Anis was the widow of Akbar Mirza, an executive with Esso Pakistan, whom she married in 1952. Upon his sudden death in 1976, Anis relied on her strong faith to become a source of strength for her two sons, Mustafa and Muzzafar whom she sent to be educated in the US. As a strong feminist and a role model to young women journalists, she continued her journalism career in Pakistan. When she retired in her late 60s, she immigrated to the US to join her sons and their families. She embraced America whole heartedly and was very proud to become a US citizen. She closely followed American politics as well as global news through her daily NY Times and as an avid watcher of the BBC and Indian news channels. She was widely admired for her personal and professional perseverance, her superior intellect, her knowledge of and opinions on politics and current events, and her deep spirituality.
Anis was deeply loved by her family. "Grandma" was a wonderful storyteller and her grandchildren will always remember the lessons she shared with them about the importance of family, culture, history, and a good education. She loved Eastern and Western classical music, traveling the world, Indian films, beautiful gardens and quality chocolate. Perhaps most of all, she cherished family gatherings filled with music and dancing, lots of laughter, and very good food.
Anis was buried in a private family ceremony in Greenwich beside her late son Muzzi and her late grandson Ali. She is survived by her devoted eldest son Mustafa of Westport, CT, two cherished daughters-in-law, Elizabeth and Susan, and four beloved grandchildren Akbar, Alexander, Christina and Sean. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews, her "third son" Ahd Zaman and his family, and a wide circle of admiring colleagues and friends around the world.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in Anis' memory be sent to the Trustees of Columbia University for The Mirza Fund for Pancreatic Cancer c/o Rebecca Kane Solinsky, Columbia University Medical Center, 516 West 168th Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10032