Raja Muhammad Anwar

Family

He is married to an Afghan lady Basira Raja, whom he met in Kabul during his exile . He has a daughter who served 9 nears as an A plus category anchor on Pakistan Television as a current affair's anchor person, Dr Anita Raja . Dr Raja is currently residing in UK with her husband and son . Both are practicing doctors .

While Raja Anwar's elder son Sunil has a business in the UK and is settled there with his wife who is a teacher by profession . His youngest son born in 1994, is an engineering student in Birmingham university .

Career

Raja Anwar is a Pakistani journalist, writer and former PPP political activist. He belongs to the Bhakral Rajput clan of Kashmir. He was born in Kallar Syedan Tehsil of Rawalpindi and got his education in Gordon College Rawalpindi and Punjab University, Lahore.

He was a firebrand student leader of 1960s and played his role in students struggle against the dictatorship of late Ayub Khan. Later, he joined Pakistan People’s Party. He was appointed as an adviser on Students and Labour Affairs in Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's first government (1974–1977). He escaped to Afghanistan after Bhutto was toppled by a right-wing military coup led by Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. In Kabul, Raja Anwar joined Bhutto's elder son, Murtaza Bhutto, and joined the newly formed Al-Zulfiqar Organization (AZO), a leftist organization made up of PPP jialas who fled to Afghanistan after 1977’s coup. AZO was committed to toppling the Zia dictatorship. Raja Anwar had a falling with Murtaza over the latter's controversial terror tactics in 1980s and wanted to return to Pakistan and help Murtaza's sister, Benazir Bhutto's political struggle against Zia. Anwar however was imprisoned in an infamous Kabul jail, the Pul-e-Charkhi, but was released in 1985 after Murtaza shifted his operations to Syria. After his release from Afghan Jail, Raja Anwar went to Germany and lived a life of self-exile with his afghan wife. He is a man of many vistas; one of his identities is his literary writings. He came to the attention of literary critics for his famous book ‘Jhootay Roop Ke Darshan’, which is based on his love letters to his girlfriend KANWAL(The daughter of a high rank retired army officer), and her replies, during their tenure of studies at Punjab University from 1970 to 1972. After his return from self-exile to Pakistan, Raja Anwar started writing columns in Urdu newspapers and currently he is associated with daily Dunya as a columnist. He has also worked as chairman Punjab education foundation since 2008 on honorary basis and does not receive any salary or TA/DA for his work. After his disengagement from the PEF, Raja Anwar has settled in UK along-with his family.