Biography

Sultana Siddiqui, the recipient of Sitara-i-Imtiaz for her outstanding contributions in the field of television/entertainment, holds the title of being the first woman President of a television network in South Asia and one of the pioneering names in the national entertainment industry. Sultana Siddiqui’s contributions to the TV and entertainment industry of Pakistan are immense. From producing and directing hit serials and telefilms to bringing public awareness on social issues through these productions, she has successfully portrayed the positive side of Pakistan globally. She is an advocate of women’s and children’s rights and one of the most dynamic and influential personalities in the television industry of Pakistan.

Born in Hyderabad into a ‘Qazi-Siddiqui’ family from Sehwan, Sindh, Sultana Siddiqui is seventh of ten brothers and sisters. Emphasis on education without any discrimination amongst the five sons and five daughters was the key element of their upbringing which was rare in those days.

Her schooling was from Government Girls High School in Hyderabad and she did her Bachelors in Comparative Religion. Her hobbies included painting, storytelling and writing and during her academic life, Siddiqui was an exceptional student and won many laurels for her school and college in debates, sports and school dramas.

She was part of a special performance during the late Shah of Iran’s royal consort Farah Diba, Queen Elizabeth and Duke of Edinburgh’s official visits to Pakistan in 1960 and 1961.

Sultana Siddiqui was lucky to belong to a loving, close-knit family consisting of her father Imdad Ali Siddiqui, her mother Fakharunissa, her five brothers Dr Qamar, Mazhar, Dr Shams, Jehangir and Munawwar and four sisters, Zeenat, Noor Jahan, Shah Jahan and Khursheed. Emphasis on education without any discrimination amongst the sons and daughters was the key element of their upbringing which was rare in those days. Her memories as a young child include the everyday quality dinner-time in which her parents made all the siblings sit together, narrating lesson-oriented stories of their childhood and daily life. Those stories shaped their offspring’s later lives making them disciplined, balanced and exceptional performers in their respective fields. Siddiqui’s love for storytelling strengthened in the years through the folklores narrated by Naani, their house help.

Siddiqui was a tomboy with an inquisitive mind not afraid to try new things even at a young age. Her mother would lock the living room door during their afternoon nap in summers but Sultana Siddiqui would sneak out through a small window climbing trees, reading books and playing local sports in parks with her younger brothers. Due to this mindset even today, after years she continues to work with energy, setting up new standards and goals for herself.

At the age of 20, Siddiqui got married and had to curb her highly extrovert personality. Her marriage had its ups and downs ending up in a separation of five years that eventually led to a divorce. Her family supported her decision and Siddiqui began a new life with the goal of standing on her own feet. Living with her mother, brother and sister-in-law, she did not waste her time, following different vocations such as indenting and designing but ultimately found her niche in the art.

She had three sons and like any working mother, she would prepare her children Shunaid, Junaid and Duraid for school in the morning, leave for work, come home and help them with their homework, and during the night she would work on her content and projects. As time passed Siddiqui’s children also became her biggest support, studied well and became outstanding in their respective fields – Shunaid is a leading businessman, Junaid is a Managing Partner in an investment fund in Silicon Valley Duraid is CEO of HUM Network.

Today, she believes that her successful journey has been due to the immense support of her family giving her the strength to push ahead. She feels that Pakistani women should be strong and independent with the support of their families, especially the male members, who should step forward and provide them the confidence. She has encouraged her daughters-in-law Moomal Shunaid, Malika Junaid and Momina Duraid to stand on their own feet. Moomal and Momina are heads of Moomal and M&D productions respectively (and their contributions have helped the network) while Malika is a brilliant architect. Shunaid and Momal have three children Shahmir, Shanzeh and Shahzeb; Junaid and Malaika have two children Mishal and Alisha and Duraid and Momina have five children Manahil, Shahzayn, Zarlina, Myiesha and Shayan.

Siddiqui joined Pakistan Television as a host for a Sindhi programme ‘Sartiyum Sat’ (with friends) and later produced and directed ‘Roshan Tara’, another Sindhi programme with Mahtab Rashdi as its host. In 1974, after her training she became a producer presenting the popular children’s programme ‘Rang Tarang’ which received national recognition and multiple awards, including an award from Germany.

She loved doing children’s programmes which suited her as well as it did not take too much of her time as other programmes did; her children being very young, she needed to be with them at home. It was also during this time that she began making her groove in the media. She was motivated “to work better and try out new concepts.” She began doing music programmes and during this period, she introduced some of the most famous celebrity singers of Pakistan such as Abida Parveen, Nazia Hassan, Mohammad Ali Shyhaki and Alamgir. This was 1977, and Siddiqui proudly says that this was also the year she bought her own car.

Siddiqui also realised the power of media and how it could help change the society by bringing awareness of existing issues. ‘Honour Killing’ was an important issue that needed to be addressed and through the serial ‘Marvi’ she highlighted this dire issue countrywide. She introduced new faces as main characters and would personally go and convince parents to allow their daughters to act in those days. ‘Marvi’, brought recognition and along with it workplace jealousies, but she stood steadfast in these tough times, her family encouraging her all the way; “The greatest blessing I have had in my life which made me what I wanted to become and who I am today.”

In 2000, Siddiqui took early retirement from PTV to start her own production house Moomal Productions. The then Managing Director, PTV, Rana Sheikh, asked her to continue working with PTV on new concepts

In 2004, her son Duraid Qureshi completed his MBA and came up with the idea of starting their own channel. At that time, hybrid channels which had news and entertainment were successful, but being a risk taker, Sultana Siddiqui insisted on starting a purely entertainment channel with dramas and content that resonated with cultural values.

On the business side Siddiqui started off with one of the first private content production houses in Pakistan. Her hard work brought her success and in 2004 she became the first woman in South-East Asia to launch a private entertainment channel. The channel was the first publicly listed media company in Pakistan, a step that is unmatched even today. The 24-hour entertainment channel, HUM TV was followed by the launch of South-East Asia’s first 24-hour food channel HUM Masala. Its third channel Style 360 (now known as HUM Sitaray) followed in 2010 and HUM News, a 24-hour news channel focusing on presenting unbiased news and current affairs was launched in 2019. HUM Pushto 1 was launched in 2020 and the latest entrant Ten Sports was launched in mid-2023.

Today HUM TV has its viewers in more than 30 countries. Its programmes have been dubbed in other languages and its content aired in India via Indian broadcasters. Scores of HUM stars are now making headway internationally proving HUM TV to be a successful ambassador of Pakistan’s soft image as envisaged by Siddiqui. Hum TV fiercely competes with other international broadcasters in UK, USA and Middle East, constantly winning hearts of expatriate viewers belonging to the South Asian diaspora and the Hindi/ Urdu content markets.

Hum Awards acts as a shining showcase of Pakistani culture and has won accolades from the government and its citizens wherever it has been held. Be it Dubai, Toronto or Houston, Hum Awards’ colourful celebration of Pakistan for its expat community have made a positive impact with the local administrations thus uplifting the Pakistani flag in foreign lands.

Siddiqui’s career spans five illustrious decades. Her forte and passion has always been to bring awareness on social issues, particularly women empowerment and education and has been associated with reputable NGOs which are working on women’s issues. She has supported women’s empowerment by providing employment to 30 percent women employees at all HUM network departments. Siddiqui has always encouraged young people to be productive in society, giving them job opportunities in her network.

Creating a dynamic business of broadcasting, content production, online media, film production and distribution, magazines, mega bridal and pret fashion shows, family festivals and mega award shows such as HUM awards, Hum Style Awards and Hum Women Leaders Award, Siddiqui has introduced unknown artists who have now achieved fame in the world of acting and singing in Pakistan. She has fostered careers of fashion designers, writers, producers, actors and other creative individuals, especially promoting women.

As a creative force Siddiqui has been responsible for launching careers of popular stars such as Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan, Sarmad Khoosat, Sanam Saeed and Sajal Aly to name a few. She has created groundbreaking TV plays such as Humsafar, Zindagi Gulzar Hai, Thori Si Mohabbat and Udaari, TV plays, which present social problems and point to solutions, while at the same time remaining within the ambits of our culture. She has always believed in the power of Pakistani content and has advocated the superior quality of Pakistani dramas, music, food and fashion.

She has introduced a conducive atmosphere and ethics not only in her company but also in the media industry. Siddiqui’s knowledge and command over her field is impeccable. Under her vision, HUM Network has established itself as Pakistan’s most sought-after entertainment channel. Having been an achiever, she feels that one is obligated to give back to the community and country and the work should be purpose-driven and meaningful.

Siddiqui believes that with success comes negativity from around, but the idea is to not get discouraged and keep moving forward. A true leader in her view is the one who creates more leaders, not more followers.

Siddiqui carries this message personally as well, representing Pakistan in conferences in Germany, Malaysia, USA, Qatar, China, Singapore, New Zealand, Bangladesh and the Bahamas, where she has been asked to speak. She was able to portray the soft image of Pakistan in Women Leadership Forum in Silicon Valley California, Islamic World Forum in Doha and World Leaders Forum in Washington DC. She has also had the honour of speaking with Pakistani student bodies in Harvard, San Francisco and Michigan.

Apart from representing Pakistan on numerous global platforms Siddiqui has been on the boards of many organisations in various capacities. She is a member of the US Pakistan Women’s Council (USPWC), which aims to promote economic advancement of women in Pakistan. Locally, she is a member of the Advisory Committee of Center of Excellence of Journalism (CEJ) and a Senate Member of Begum Nusrat Bhutto Women University (BNB), Sukkur. Ms. Siddiqui is also on the panel of British Council Fund for Women Entrepreneurs. She has served Sindh Graduates Association Women Wings (SGA), Media Journalists and Publisher’s Organization as President and was a member of the Board of Governors, Sindh Madressatul Islam University. Currently, she is an advisory committee member for Federation of Business and Professional Women. Sultana Siddiqui is also the founder of Karachi Film Society (KFS) and President of Pakistan International Film Festival (PIFF). As a role model for women in entrepreneurial endeavours she serves as the Chairperson of (OPEN) Organisation of Pakistani Entrepreneurs Karachi Chapter. She personally supports the Sultana Siddiqui Dispensary and Sultana Siddiqui Institute (for the education of underprivileged children) in Ranipur, through Sultana Siddiqui Foundation.

Siddiqui is the recipient of a large number of awards including The Gr8! Women’s Award 2015; Leadership Award 2014; the Best Producer of a Drama Serial, PTV; Best Producer of Music Production, PTV; The Silver Jubilee Award, PTV; The Hazrat Khadijat ul Kubra Award – Business and Professional Women, Women of Vision Award – Media Women; Top Business Leader of Pakistan in 2012 and 2013 by CEO Summit Asia; Best Leadership Award – CEO Club of Pakistan; Pride of Performance Award – Government of Pakistan; honorary doctorate by Greenwich University in 2015 for her outstanding contributions in the field of media along with many other. She received Sitara-e-Imtiaz in 2021 and Governor Award, from Lahore in 2022. In 2023, Siddique was bestowed with the Development Leadership Award & PTV Icon Awards.