Waseem Badami a Pakistani TV presenter has been able to host several shows including religious shows and current affairs shows. From their TV career, he has achieved a lot. But the same has been marked by some emotional incidents too. Despite his cheerful personality, on Ushna Shah’s After Hours, Waseem discussed his career, his success, and the grieving passage of many friends he has worked with.
The Loss of Junaid Jamshed
According to Waseem Badami, one of the major failures in his life was the death of Junaid Jamshed, a singer who left singing and became an Aalim, and had frequently participated in the transmissions of Waseem’s Shaan-e-Ramzan. This idealistic connection became legendary as Junaid charmed millions with his soulful Naats. Waseem exposed that the sudden death of Junaid Jamshed in a plane crash jerked him. Even today, he feels blocked when he listens to the Naats sung by Junaid but the fact remains that he is gone and it feels unreal to him.
Working with Amjad Sabri
Yet another significant sorrow in the life of Waseem Badami is the untimely death of the Qawwali maestro, Amjad Sabri. Like Junaid, Amjad was also a part of Shaan-e-Ramzan broadcasts, and Waseem says that his departure will not be replaceable or fillable. Waseem told me that even to this date he is disturbed whenever he listens to Kalams of Amjad Sabri since how Sabri was killed was so unfortunate. This act of extreme violence shocked the nation, but for someone like Waseem, it was even more painful, as Sabri was close to him.
Amir Liaquat: When a friend dies in tragedy
Waseem Badami also knew Amir Liaquat Hussain personally and was his co-worker on several occasions. Waseem also lost contact with Amir Liaquat, an infamous television host and now a prominent politician who died tragically in 2022. Back in After Hours, Waseem explained how painful it was for him to come to terms with the death of Amir, given the fact that Amir had a very hard final years of his life. Waseem also discussed how Amir was a victim in personal relationships, particularly a woman who hurt Amir and went on to live a normal life leaving Amir to suffer.
Emotional Impacts on Waseem Badami
Waseem Badami said in the interview that he is a very bad person nowadays because of the deaths of Junaid Jamshed, Amjad Sabri, and Amir Liaquat. He said that he is still stunned and that grieving these losses is easier said than done. Waseem said this was not just painful to the industry, but it was a loss he still grieved up to that very moment. He added that with their absence, he feels the loss of their presence in his life daily.
A Reflection on Friendship and Loss
Remembering the sad demise of these three personalities, Badami shared his frustration with the end of Aamir Liaquat’s life and how he suffered. Everyone associated with the controversies affecting his persona has shifted to another level, but Aamir was not lucky before his premature death. Waseem giving his heartfelt speech for them indicates that he is not only mourning their loss as colleagues – but as friends.
For Waseem Badami, success and loss have been the prominent features of his career that have showcased great heights and deep lows. He has lost three prominent personalities of Pakistan including Junaid Jamshed, Amjad Sabri, and Aamir Liaquat in recent years. Despite being a successful man still working for his company, there is one thing that haunts him to this day – the loss of friends in catastrophic events. Towards the end of After Hours, as Waseem recounted his thoughts about life, he repeated to the audience how precious our affections are.
Waseem is a true example of ‘never giving up’ and everyone has been emotionally moved and sometimes, broken by the confessions Waseem made on the show.
