(1930-2016)
Fatima Surayya Bajia was an Urdu novelist and playwright from Pakistan. She was awarded Hilal-i-Imtiaz in 2013 and Pride of Performance Award in 1996. She also received Japan’s highest civil award in recognition of her works. Bajia remained Advisor to the Chief Minister of Sindh province in Pakistan, and was a member of the managing committee of the Arts Council of Pakistan. She died on 10 February 2016 in Karachi, aged 85. A well-known personality in social welfare, literary Radio, TV and Stage, Bajia wrote for PTV Centres Islamabad and Lahore since the launch of those television channels. She wrote her first long play Mehman. Her plays were known to be culturally elaborate and focused on familial ties. She made a major contribution to the development of modern drama.