Ashir Azeem


Ashir Azeem is a Pakistani-Canadian film and television director, actor, writer and former civil services officer who rose to fame through television series Dhuwan in 1994.

Early life and career

Ashir Azeem was born in Quetta in 1962 where he attended early schooling. He could not complete aeronautical engineering in 1981–1984 from Pakistan Air Force College of Aeronautical Engineering and later, he received degree of BBA from Institute of Business Administration, Karachi in 1984–1986. In 1988, Ashir joined Central Superior Services of Pakistan. While working in there, he wrote a story about the Pakistan Armed Forces. Later one of his colleagues advised him to create a television serial on his story. The serial titled Dhuwan based on his story was aired on Pakistan Television Corporation in 1994. He appeared in the serial as the lead actor and gained public recognition. Dhuwan became popular all over the country and received positive response. Ashir then moved to Canada. In 2015, he announced his debut film Maalik which he wrote in 1993. The film was directed written and co-produced by Ashir and was released on 8 April 2016. Ashir also acted in Hassan Rana's film Yalghaar.

Civil Service

In addition to his media work, Ashir Azeem is a Pakistani civil servant. In 2015, the Federal Board of Revenue ordered that Ashir is investigated for "corrupt practices and misuse of authority in awarding a contract for computerization of the FBR department to a foreign company." In 2016, the Federal Board of Revenue disciplined Ashir for "inefficiency, misconduct, and corruption but he was then acquitted of all charges." After being cleared of all accusations he resigned from Pakistan Customs Services. He also played a lead role in bringing custom reforms in Pakistan.

Personal life

He is married to Bushra Ashir Azeem, has two children and is a dual Pakistani-Canadian citizen. He is a Christian.
On 7 July 2017, through his Twitter account, Azeem revealed that he currently drives a 22-wheeler truck in Canada as his main source of income. He also has a YouTube channel in which he discusses his views about governance, political, and societal issues of Pakistan.

Filmography

Television