Nisar Muhammad Khan

Nisar Muhammad Khan (January 1942 – 7 September 2018) was a Pakistani playwright, scriptwriter, broadcaster, and director of the Radio Pakistan. Besides contributing to Pashto language and culture, he is also credited with writing books, including Speen Tumbal on Pashto music and Aghosh-i-Kausar, covering the life of Bilal ibn Rabah, a companion of Islamic prophet Muhammad.

He was born to a Pashtun family of the Yousafzai tribe and raised in Shah Mansur town of Swabi District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He received his early schooling from a school in his hometown at Swabi, and later attended the Government Post Graduate College Mardan where he did his graduation. He did master's degree in Pashto studies from the University of Peshawar. He had eleven children, including two sons and nine daughters. He also used to organise concert programs for radio, and created a drams titled Visit This Place Once Again which became a prominent drama among Pashtuns. He wrote numerous plays, including Chagha (Cry), Pagha (Turbine) and Zh Suk Yam (Who Am I) for the Radio's entertainment programs. It is believed he introduced several singers to music, including Mashooq Sultan, and Hidayatulla and trained them in Lahore at the central production unit of Radio Pakistan. While working with stated-owned radio station, he produced more than one thousand songs and used to play sitar musical instrument. He is also credited for reintroducing old Pashto music preserved at digital library of Radio Pakistan to the listeners of the modern age.

He made his later film associations with the Central Board of Film Censors where he retained his position till 2003. He was also involved in a public awareness campaign called Thalassaemia Project, for which he was awarded twice by the KP government. The award he received for his contribution to tribal areas is not known. In November 2008, the provincial government established Directorate of Culture department after Khan, aimed at to promote Pashtun culture in the country.

Death During his last days, Khan suffered from cancer disease since 2012 or 2013. He died of the disease on 7 September 2018 at Shah Mansur town of Swabi District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.