Aamir Liaquat Hussain has passed away: who was Pakistan TV personality, age, cause of death, who was his wife?

Aamir Liaquat Hussain, a Pakistani politician, columnist and TV host was found unconscious in his home in the Khudadad Colony, Karachi, and was taken to hospital but pronounced dead on arrival.

A post mortem exam is being carried out.

But what was Mr Hussain’s cause of death? Here’s what you need to know.

What happened? 

Mr Hussain, 50, was found unconscious in his home after reportedly feeling chest discomfort the night before but refused to go to the hospital.

According to Geo News, his employee, Javed, said a scream was heard from Mr Hussain’s room this morning (9 June 2022) and his staff broke down his door when they did not receive a reply from him.

He was moved to a private hospital in critical condition but was pronounced dead on arrival. Authorities have decided to conduct a post-mortem exam as he “died under mysterious circumstances”.

The exact cause of death is currently unknown.

Who was Aamir Liaquat Hussain? 

Mr Hussain was a top-ranking TV anchor and was listed three times in The 500 influential Muslims worldwide, and among 100 popular personalities of Pakistan.

He was one of Pakistan’s most prominent TV hosts, as well as an MP for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party in 2018, under former president Imran Khan.

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

Mr Hussain was a radio broadcaster on FM101 and was known for hosting Ramadan transmissions.

In 2001, he joined Geo TV as a founding member and left in 2010, to join ARY Digital Network as managing director.

In June 2014, he joined Express Media Group as the president, and was the Group Editor of religious content on Daily Express, also becoming president of Geo Entertainment in November 2015.

From 2019, Mr Hussain was part of Pakistan Television Corporation.

What is his legacy? 

His career was mired in controversies, from giving orphaned children to childless couples on TV and being banned for hate speech.

Mr Hussain worked for many of Pakistan’s leading media platforms over the years and was a popular figure with sections of the public, but others found him highly divisive.

There were regular complaints from people he shamed publicly, as he accused people of acts like blasphemy, treachery or fornication.

In September 2008, he dedicated a 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 anyone associating 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.

In June 2016, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) barred Hussain from hosting his Ramadan show Inaam Ghar for three days on Geo Entertainment, which showed a reenactment by the show’s host of a girl committing suicide.

In May 2021, Hussain was once again a subject of controversy over his performance of "Nagin Dance" (Dance moves mimicking snake) during his evening special Ramazan transmission.

He will also be remembered for sexist remarks about liberal women in Pakistan.

However, he is a figure that will be widely remembered, as many prominent figures in Pakistan took to Twitter to post their reactions.

On Twitter, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressed deep sorrow over the demise of Hussain. He wrote: “Aamir Liaquat Hussain led a dynamic life from journalism to politics. He proved his mettle in various fields of life from writing and speech”.

TV anchor Wasim Badami expressed grief over Hussain’s death, posting broken hearts on his Twitter.

Was Mr Hussain married? 

Mr Hussain was married three times, with some relationships overlapping as some Muslims hold the belief that Muslim men can be married to multiple women. He has two children with his first wife, Syeda Bushra Aamir, called Dua and Ahmed. They got divorced in 2020.

In June 2018, he confirmed a second marriage to Syeda Tuba Anwar, and in February he married for a third time to 18-year-old Syeda Dania Shah. Both partners were divorced in 2022.