Aamir Liaquat was an enigma. I saw him live first time showering praises on MQM supremo at an event to celebrate the birthday of Altaf Bhai in early 2000s at Baagh-i-Jinnah in Karachi.
This was Musharraf era when he had handed over Karachi to MQM while Aamir Liaquat was active in politics with them. He was doing Aalim Online on Geo TV. The show would invite scholars and people used to phone in to ask questions of religious significance.
Aamir Liaqat was an orator par excellence and was revered by many for it. He would be invited to other shows with a label of ” Mazhabi Scholar”. I’m unaware of his own affiliation but he had a pro-Shia stance (as he would pick on hardcore Sunni ulema reciting a manqabat on his show in the BTS).
As the media boom expanded, Aamir Liaqat entered the game show and reality TV genre at various channels and would do things that were unbecoming of a “Mazhabi Scholar” but would continue to do Ramzan Special shows with celebrities far more controversial than him.
He was also involved in provocation of blasphemy against critical bloggers who were kidnapped by “unknown” powers and released after brutal torture.
In the later part of his life, with the downfall of MQM in Karachi, like many opportunist politicians he opted for the up and coming party, the Pakistan Tehreek Insaf and won the elections. Apparently he continued the fight for Karachi and kept on leaving and rejoining the ruling party.
More recently he was on a wedding (or divorcing) spree with his third and latest bride being a minor allegedly, and release of controversial videos of him doing drugs on a hidden camera, he was facing harsh criticism. He had vowed to leave the country through a series of Tik-Toks with sad songs.
Finally, Aamir Liaqat, the man, the mystery, the entertainer by day and preacher by night, the sinner, the sage said his finally good bye to this cold cruel world.
Now that it seems like people on social media are divided on Aamir Liaqat’s death like everything else, should death as a matter between the deceased and the Creator be seen as something washing away everything we do in our life? Or we will be discussed for our good and bad deeds, as seen and judged by the society? That’s indeed a matter of debate for some other time.