Senior journalist Ayesha Haroon, who passed away at the age of 46 in February 2013 after battling bone marrow cancer, has been conferred Tamgha-e-Husn-e-Karkardagi award.

The prestigious award, approved by President Mamnoon Hussain on the advice of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, has been conferred on Haroon in recognition of her extraordinary services in the field of journalism.

Survived by a husband, mother and two brothers, the seasoned journalist started with her illustrious career in journalism by contributing to The Frontier Post in 1990 while she was studying at Kinnaird College. She officially joined the newspapers as its magazine editor as soon as she completed her master’s.

Later, she joined The Nation as magazine editor and served as a special correspondent. She also worked as the resident editor of The Nation in Islamabadd before joining as director news of Waqt TV. In fact, she planned and set up the TV channel and trained its team.

Haroon became Lahore’s editor of The News in 2007. She was diagnosed with cancer four years prior to her joining the English daily and after getting initial treatments at Shaukat Khanum Hospital was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. She passed away in New York.

Renowned journalist, Benna Sarwar remembered Haroon in a piece for The News. Below is an excerpt:

“As Features Editor at The Frontier Post, I found her a welcome addition to our staff. She was hard working and committed and soon proved herself as a passionate writer who quickly picked up the editing skills that made her stand out. She was a lively presence, with her big smile, ready laugh and eagerness to take on any task she was given. She showed great initiative and thoroughness in her work.”