Saleem Gillani

Saleem Gillani (16 May 1928 – 25 December 2008) was a Pakistani broadcaster, poet, and media administrator. He worked for Radio Pakistan for nearly four decades, serving in various roles including director general.

He also served as a diplomat at the Embassy of Pakistan, Washington, D.C., although published accounts do not specify his official position. Gillani was the father of David Headley.

Early life and education Gillani was born on 16 May 1928 in Gurdaspur, Punjab, then part of British India. Following the partition of India in 1947, he migrated to Pakistan with his family. He earned a master's degree in English literature from Government College, Lahore.

During his service as head of Radio Pakistan's transcription service, Gillani established the Sound Archive (later referred to as Awaz Khazana) to preserve recordings of music and broadcasts.

He oversaw the production of cultural programming that was translated into multiple languages and distributed abroad, including during national celebrations, when recordings were sent to radio stations in other countries. This marriage suffered a setback, when the family moved to Lahore to settle down. The wife, Alice Headley, took their child David Headley back to the United States with her, when they separated. Saleem Gillani married again in Pakistan and had three more children including another son Danyal Gillani.

Death Saleem Gillani died of a heart attack on 25 December 2008 in Lahore at age 80. His funeral prayers were held at Jamia Ashrafia, and he was buried in Ichhra cemetery, Lahore, Pakistan.

Awards and recognition Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Crescent of Excellence) award by the Government of Pakistan in recognition of his contributions to broadcasting and culture in 2009.