Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Sharief Khan passes away.

The late Sharief Khan

Stabroek News: Well-known journalist and former Editor-in-Chief of the Guyana Chronicle Sharief Khan passed away early this morning at his East Coast Demerara home.

His brother, speaking with Stabroek News briefly via telephone, confirmed his passing and said that the loss has come as a great shock to family, colleagues and friends. Khan, he said, “had not been in the very best health for a while”.

Prior to his death, Khan served as a consultant to the Climate Change Unit (CCU). “Mr. Khan was actively involved in the CCU and has always been actively involved in activities which will move Guyana ahead,” a colleague there told this newspaper.

Khan, who was in his late 50s was also a resident of Campbellville, Georgetown for many years.

Stabroek News Editor-in-Chief Anand Persaud expressed condolences on the passing of Khan. He said Khan had played an important role as a leading journalist in the formative years of Stabroek News. He was appointed News Editor and later become Assistant Editor of the Stabroek News. He later moved to the Guyana Chronicle in 1993.

Khan, who originally hailed from Vergenoegen on the West Demerara, began his journalistic career as a free lancer and subsequently joined the newsroom at Radio Demerara, according to Anna Benjamin’s Birth of Stabroek News. He remained there until 1978 when he was offered a position as a senior reporter by Carl Blackman at the Chronicle. He was there in time to cover Jonestown and the following year he wrote a full account of Father Bernard Darke’s murder only to find that it had been replaced with a seven-line statement from the Government Information Service. Khan left the newspaper after it was clear to him that whatever the governing party wanted in the newspaper would go. He later became a CANA correspondent and worked with it until 1981 when he moved to the United States Information Service as an information assistant.

At Stabroek News he was appointed as Chief Reporter in 1987 and eventually rose to the position of Assistant Editor before moving to the Chronicle.

10 comments:

  1. My sympathy to the family of the late Sharief Khan.

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  2. This is a great loss to the office of the president and the country of Guyana.

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  3. Sharief Khan will be sadly miss by his family and colleagues.

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  4. My condolences goes out to his family......

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  5. Gone but not forgetten

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  6. I meet Sharief Khan in the 70's and stayed friends even though I now live in the US. To his family, It was a great sense of loss when I found out that Sharief khan passed away. My deepest condolences.

    Christine

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  7. My name is Christine I lived in South Ruimveldt Garden. I met Sharief Khan in the mid 70's, stayed friends until I came to America. Got his Telephone # from his friend Lance and we spoke in the 90's and not until last year I emailed him a few times. A friend from Canada called me yesterday to let me know Sharief passed away. I'm still in SHOCK! My condolences to his family....

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  8. I was deeply saddened by the death of Sharief Khan. This must be very difficult for his family. You are in my thoughts and my prayers. I remember as a teenager he was such a sweetheart. He will be greatly missed by those who knew him. May God bless his family during this time and always.

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  9. When will my comments be posted?

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