Why Neelam Ghar Was Broken Down?

Neelam Ghar was the most famous and most liked show of PTV.

It was making a history in television and entertainment world. It was becoming the longest run TV show and the longest run TV show by a single person in the world but why it was broken down and the show and its host was made helpless slowly by the times.

Neelam ghar started in 1974-75 with Tariq Aziz as its host. It was the first quiz and game show on Pakistan Television and no one was expecting a big success. Television was almost ten years old in the country with still developing and expanding its roots. But out of expectations Neelam Ghar attracted each and everyone and very soon became the super hit program of the TV. Friday was then the official holiday in Pakistan and Thursday night at 8pm everyone used to watch Neelam Ghar on PTV. 


Producer Arif Rana invented the theme of Neelam Ghar and Tariq Aziz was chosen as the host. Al-Hamra Hall, Lahore was chosen as the venue. Appropriate sets were designed and people were invited through passes. Everybody worked hard and Neelam Ghar soon was a brand. It attracted commercials and sponsors and almost all Pakistani businesses started sponsoring the show. To only cover the sponsors list, it needs a huge research and time. The energetic and passionate Tariq Aziz provided his best talent to Neelam Ghar. His interesting quiz questions, games, interviews, jokes, poetry and competitions geared up the show. At the time every Pakistani family used to wish to take part in Neelam Ghar.

After Arif Rana, some other producers took over the show including the famous names of Hafeez Tahir, Ayub Khwar, Syed Zahid Uzair, Farrukh Bashir, Agha Zulfiqar Farrukh, Agha Qaiser and Tajdar Adil. 

Neelam Ghar continued non stop for years and years. This was an unexpected regularity. The show was also brought to Karachi, Islamabad, Dubai and other venues. 

When the host Tariq Aziz inclined more towards politics and finally got elected as Member National Assembly in 1996, it was the first major interruption in Neelam Ghar which didn’t last for long. But from there the show was started to broken down. Millions of Pakistanis still want to know the inside stories behind the events. Later years saw Neelam Ghar being destroyed and after private channels were allowed, the PTV’s Neelam Ghar was thrashed more away. The very first damage to the show, after it restarted, was the change of the name as ‘Tariq Aziz Show’ in 1997. Further, it started getting more sponsors. In 2006, it was again renamed as ‘Bazm-e-Tariq Aziz’. At least publicly nobody knows the reasons why the name Neelam Ghar was changed. The name Neelam Ghar was the major identity of the show and changing it was a big damage done.

It seems that by the times PTV started taking this show as a memorial kind of thing. PTV administration’s interest to promote and protect the show was lost. It seems Tariq Aziz was forcefully doing the show. Isn’t it has become our national behavior to treat our assets and heroes as badly as possible? Neelam Ghar and Tariq Aziz had become national assets but the administration of PTV and government treated them more and more badly. A common Pakistani can not do anything in this regard. But those who were and who are responsible have wasted a huge asset of the nation.