wing of the archive
The Contemporary Era
Lives within living memory, from world wars to the digital age.
Contemporary era
Ramiz Raja
b. August 14, 1962
Former Pakistani cricketer and former chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)
Contemporary era
Zaheer Abbas
b. July 24, 1947
ICC president & Pakistani cricketer
Contemporary era
Mian Muhammad Mansha
b. December 1, 1947
Pakistani businessman
Contemporary era
Arif Habib
b. 1952
Pakistani businessman
Contemporary era
Moin Akhtar
December 24, 1950 – April 22, 2011
Pakistani comedian (1950–2011)
Contemporary era
Umer Sharif
April 19, 1960 – October 2, 2021
Pakistani film director, comedian and actor
Contemporary era
Bushra Ansari
b. May 15, 1956
Pakistani actress
Contemporary era
Parveen Shakir
November 24, 1952 – December 26, 1994
Pakistani writer and poet (1952–1994)
Contemporary era
Arfa Karim
February 2, 1995 – January 14, 2012
Pakistani computer scientist (1995–2012)
Contemporary era
Samina Baig
b. September 19, 1990
Athlete / Mountaineer
Contemporary era
Jahangir Khan
b. December 10, 1963
Pakistani squash player
Contemporary era
Jansher Khan
b. June 15, 1969
Pakistani squash player
Contemporary era
Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi
b. March 17, 1980
Pakistani tennis player (born 1980)
Contemporary era
Naseem Hameed
b. May 1, 1988
Pakistani sprinter
Contemporary era
Arshad Nadeem
b. January 2, 1997
Pakistani Olympic javelin thrower
Contemporary era
Javed Ahmad Ghamidi
b. April 18, 1951
Pakistani philosopher and Muslim scholar (born 1952)
Contemporary era
Mohsin Naqvi
May 5, 1947 – January 15, 1996
Pakistani poet (1947-1996)
Contemporary era
Fahmida Riaz
July 28, 1946 – November 21, 2018
Pakistani Urdu writer, poet, feminist (1946-2018)
Contemporary era
Shakir Shuja Abadi
b. February 25, 1953
Pakistani Saraiki poet
Contemporary era
Javed Akhtar
b. January 17, 1945
Indian writer, poet and lyricist
Contemporary era
Rahat Indori
January 1, 1950 – August 11, 2020
Indian Bollywood lyricist and Urdu poet (1950–2020)
Contemporary era
Humayun Ahmed
November 13, 1948 – July 19, 2012
Author, poet, dramatist and film director (1948–2012)
Contemporary era
Mohsin Hamid
b. July 23, 1971
Pakistani novelist
Contemporary era
Maqbool Ahmed Sabri
October 12, 1945 – September 21, 2011
Major Qawwali singer, and a leading member of the Sabri Brothers
Contemporary era
Amjad Sabri
December 23, 1976 – June 22, 2016
Pakistani qawwal, naat khawan and a proponent of the Sufi Muslim tradition
Contemporary era
Attaullah Khan Esakhelvi
b. August 19, 1951
Pakistani musician
Contemporary era
Arif Lohar
b. April 18, 1966
Pakistani singer
Contemporary era
Naheed Akhtar
b. 1966
Playback singer
Contemporary era
Mehnaz Begum
1950 – January 19, 2013
Pakistani singer
Contemporary era
Nayyara Noor
November 3, 1950 – August 20, 2022
Pakistani singer
Contemporary era
Asad Amanat Ali Khan
September 25, 1955 – April 8, 2007
Pakistani singer
Contemporary era
Ghulam Ali (ghazal singer)
b. 1974
Historical figure
Contemporary era
Zakir Hussain (tabla maestro)
March 9, 1951 – December 15, 2024
Indian tabla player, musical producer, film actor, and composer (1951–2024)
Contemporary era
Pankaj Udhas
May 17, 1951 – February 26, 2024
Indian singer
Contemporary era
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
June 4, 1946 – September 25, 2020
Indian playback singer (1946–2020)
Contemporary era
Runa Laila
b. November 17, 1952
Bangladeshi singer
Contemporary era
Aamir Zaki
April 8, 1968 – June 2, 2017
Pakistani musician (1968–2017)
Contemporary era
Mohammad Ali (actor)
b. December 22, 1982
Pakistani cricketer (born 1982)
Contemporary era
Zeba
b. September 10, 1945
Pakistani actress
Contemporary era
Shabnam (actress)
b. August 17, 1946
Bangladeshi actress
Contemporary era
Anjuman (actress)
b. July 24, 1955
Pakistani actress
Contemporary era
Babra Sharif
b. December 10, 1954
Pakistani film actress
Contemporary era
Reema Khan
b. October 27, 1971
Pakistani actress and director
Contemporary era
Shaan Shahid
b. April 27, 1971
Pakistani actor, screenwriter and director
Contemporary era
Ismail Tara
November 16, 1949 – 2022
Pakistani actor
Contemporary era
Abid Ali (actor)
March 17, 1952 – September 5, 2019
Pakistani television actor
Contemporary era
Farooq Qaiser
October 31, 1945 – May 14, 2021
Pakistani artist, writer and actor (1945-2021)
Contemporary era
Shoaib Mansoor
b. April 4, 1952
Pakistani director, writer and musician
Contemporary era
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
b. November 12, 1978
Pakistani filmmaker and journalist (born 1978)
Contemporary era
Samina Peerzada
b. April 9, 1955
Pakistani actress
Contemporary era
Rekha
b. October 10, 1954
Indian actress
Contemporary era
Smita Patil
October 17, 1955 – December 13, 1986
Indian actress (1955–1986)
Contemporary era
Irrfan Khan
January 7, 1967 – April 29, 2020
Indian actor (1967–2020)
Contemporary era
Om Puri
October 18, 1949 – January 6, 2017
Indian actor (1949–2017)
Contemporary era
Naseeruddin Shah
b. July 20, 1950
Indian actor and director
Contemporary era
Sushant Singh Rajput
January 21, 1986 – June 14, 2020
Indian actor (1986-2020)
Contemporary era
Salman Shah (actor)
September 17, 1971 – September 6, 1996
Bangladeshi actor
Contemporary era
Sawar Muhammad Hussain
June 18, 1949 – December 10, 1971
Pakistani soldier (1949–1971)
Contemporary era
Muhammad Mahfuz
b. May 7, 1975
Indonesian politician (born 1975 in Kotawaringin Timur)
Contemporary era
Karnal Sher Khan
January 1, 1970 – July 5, 1999
Pakistani army officer