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Sultana Siddiqui

Sultana Siddiqui (سلطانہ صدیقی), also known as Sultana Apa (سلطانہ آپا), is a Pakistani media mogul, television director, and producer who is the founder of Hum Network Limited.[1]

Siddiqui is an active director of Hum Network Limited and the president of Hum Network Limited. By virtue of that she became the first woman in Pakistan to establish a TV station.[2]

Early life

Sultana was born in Hyderabad, Sindh, into a Sindhi qazis (Muslim judges) family living there, Sultana being the seventh of ten children.[3] She received her early education from government schools in Hyderabad.[4]

"Siddiqui was a tomboy. She would climb trees, challenge bullies and at times play truant. People who know her from those heady days say that she was the undisputed leader of kids in the neighbourhood".[3]

She aimed to do her Master's in comparative religion but stopped due to her marriage in 1966, which would end in a divorce after 7 years, and she would return to her family home with her three sons.[3][5]

Her brother, Mazhar-ul-Haq Siddiqui, was a civil servant and also served as the Board of director of Hum Network Limited died in February 2026.[6]

Career

1970s-1980s: Early work as actress and director-producer

Sultana started her career from PTV as a producer in Karachi in 1974.[5] Following a brief acting career, she concentrated on direction and production in both Sindhi and Urdu, her first Urdu-language production being Rung Barung (1981), a musical show for kids.[3]

1990s: Mainstream success

Siddiqui directed Sindhi play Marvi, which was written by Noorul Huda Shah and starred Sakina Samo as Marvi. The commercial success of the series motivate Siddiqui to adapt the series in Urdu,[3] in which Ghazal Siddique played Marvi, a rural girl who manages to get the education in the city despite the obstacles. Sultana reached popular success with the series and since then has directed or produced many appreciated television serials.[3][5] Siddiqui has also produced children's television, musical performances, television films, serials and documentaries.[5]

2000s-now: Hum Network and return to direction

In 2004 she founded Eye Television Network, now known as under which her own four cable channels are working, including "Hum TV". Under her direction Hum TV has received Pakistan's Lux Style Awards four years in a row.[7] She is the only woman in Asia who started or owned a TV channel.[8]

As a director, she remained inactive for ten years before her latest drama serial Zindagi Gulzar Hai (2012-2013), which is a romantic drama focusing on women, portraying equality of the girl child and importance of a career for women.[9] a critically acclaimed[10] serial that has been praised for "breaking the ice across the borders of Pakistan and India in current times"[11] featuring Fawad Khan and Sanam Saeed.[5][11]

In 2025, Sultana Siddiqui resides in North Nazimabad Town in Karachi, Pakistan.[3] She is now reportedly in her late 70s. She launched Hum TV in 2005. Sultana Siddiqui's TV shows tend to portray progressive and women-empowering point of view.

Awards and recognition

Sultana has won numerous awards, including the Best Producer of a Drama Serial, Best Producer of a Music Production, the Hazrat Khadijat ul Kubra Award, Women of Vision Award, Nigar Award, the Gold Medal Award, Sindh Graduates Association Award,

Her work is well known for its attention to social issues and its focus on female empowerment. Siddiqui has represented Pakistan in numerous international workshops and seminars.[13]

  • Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence) Award in 2021 by the President of Pakistan.[12]
  • Pride of Performance Award from the Government of Pakistan in 2008.[7][4]
  • PTV Award for 'Best Production' in 1981.[3][7]
  • Lifetime Achievement awarded in 2023 from Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs of North America. In 2023, Sultana Siddiqui was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs of Silicon Valley Chapter for her contributions to women's entrepreneurship, the establishment of one of Pakistan's leading media companies, and her role as a mentor to women internationally.[14]
  • In July 2025, Sultana Siddiqui was honored at the 48th Annual Convention of the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA) in Dallas, Texas. She received the APPNA Women Empowerment Award 2025, recognizing her contributions to women's empowerment and her leadership in the media industry.[15]
  • In August 2025, Sultana Siddiqui was conferred an honorary doctorate by Buckinghamshire New University (UK) in recognition of her contributions to media, women's empowerment, and public service. The degree was presented during a ceremony in UK, where university and diplomatic representatives praised her pioneering leadership as a media entrepreneur and her impact on cultural representation and female mentorship.[16]

Other work

Public speaking

As a public speaker, Sultana has spoken on many local and international platforms, including the 2013 US Islamic World Forum[7] held in Doha, Qatar and the 2014 Women Leadership Forum held in Silicon Valley, California.[17]

Karachi Film Society

Siddiqui founded the Karachi Film Society (KFS) in 2017. The nonprofit society hosts seminars, workshops, and festivals to promote film and drive the Pakistani film industry in new and creative ways. KFS is also the parent body of the Pakistan International Film Festival (PIFF).[18]

Fashion

In 2018, Sultana Siddiqui collaborated with Zac Chaudhri from the University of The Arts London to produce the first set of books on Pakistani Fashion to be held in a major western Arts university library. The books are titled Fashion Uncovered and are an introduction to Pakistani Fashion.[19]

New talent discoveries on television

Sultana Siddiqui is credited for first discovering:

  • Abida Parveen, noted Pakistani folk singer[4]
  • Sakina Samo, TV actress, producer and director[4]
  • Mahnoor Baloch, TV actress[4]

Selected television serials

External links

References

  1. شمائلہ خان بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، کراچی. 'چینلز آ گئے لیکن تکنیکی عملہ نہیں' BBC Urdu, 20 January 2016^
  2. The returning back of a famous director and head of Hum TV The Express Tribune, 24 September 2012, retrieved 13 December 2012^
  3. Asif Noorani (24 June 2013), No challenge is too great: Sultana Siddiqi Dawn newspaper, retrieved 28 July 2025^
  4. Aisha Arshad. Pakistan's Only Powerful Women In Business Pakistan Today newspaper, 2017-03-07, retrieved 2025-07-28^
  5. Deneb Sumbul. Sultana Siddiqui: Woman on a Mission Newsline magazine, March 2017, retrieved 29 July 2025^
  6. https://www.thenews.pk/print/1401647-veteran-civil-servant-mazhar-ul-haq-siddiqui-passes-away www.thenews.com.pk, 27 February 2026^
  7. 2013 U.S.-Islamic World Forum Speakers The Brookings Institution, retrieved 28 July 2025^
  8. Advisory council of DGF-Pakistan Dawood Global Foundation, retrieved 13 December 2012^
  9. Sultana returns with the direction of Zindagi Gulzar Hai Dawn newspaper, 25 November 2012, retrieved 13 December 2012^
  10. Rashma Shetty Bali. Zindagi Gulzar Hai: 5 reasons we will miss Fawad Khan and Sanam Saeed's show! Bollywood Life, 18 July 2014, retrieved 21 March 2015^
  11. India uses cinema to tell its stories, we use TV, says Kashaf of Zindagi Gulzar Hai The Indian Express newspaper, 14 July 2014, retrieved 30 July 2025^
  12. List of Civil Awards 2021 (Announced on 14 August 2020) (scroll down to see Sultana Siddiqui's award) Cabinet Division, Government of Pakistan website, retrieved 29 July 2025^
  13. Board of Directors FI Foundation, retrieved 10 February 2013^
  14. Sultana Siddiqui receives Lifetime Achievement Award at OPEN SV 2023 YouTube, OPEN Silicon Valley, 16 November 2023, retrieved 4 August 2025^
  15. "Women Who Lead: Sultana Siddiqui & Dr. Humeraa Qamar Inspire at APPNA 2025 Dallas" YouTube, APPNA 2025, July 2025, retrieved 4 August 2025^
  16. UK university confers honorary doctorate on Sultana Siddiqui Hum News English, 1 August 2025^
  17. Women Leadership Forum 2014 Open Silicon Valley, retrieved 23 March 2015^
  18. Karachi Film Society delegation meets with Federal Minister of State for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage, Marriyum Aurangzeb (delegation led by Sultana Siddiqui) Karachi Film Society website, 23 January 2018, retrieved 2025-07-29^
  19. Fashion uncovered: Lifting the veil on Pakistani fashion. Book 1 Zac Chaudhri, 2019^
  20. Faisal Javed Khan. Ertuğrul & resurrection of our dramas The Express Tribune, 17 May 2020^
  21. KARACHI: Serial Jannat filmed Dawn.com, 21 July 2002^
  22. Majid Siddiqui. An array of insights The News International, 1 April 2003^
  23. Abdullah Zahid. Sultana Siddiqui: The Pakistani TV veteran making shows with cross-border appeal Scroll.in website, 26 July 2025, retrieved 29 July 2025^
  24. Shuja Asad to play Sehar Khan's leading man in upcoming drama Daily Times newspaper, November 11, 2024, retrieved December 6, 2024^