Iqrar Ul Hassan Biography: Age, Date of Birth, Education, Family

Who Is Iqrar Ul Hassan?

Iqrar Ul Hassan is a Pakistani journalist, television presenter, and, as of 2026, a political party founder, best known as the longtime host of ARY News’ investigative program Sar-e-Aam. Over a 21-year career at ARY News, he built a reputation for undercover sting operations exposing corruption, food adulteration, and fraudulent “spiritual healers.” In a major career shift, he resigned from ARY News on 15 April 2026 to focus full-time on a political career, having launched his own political movement, Pakistan Awaam Raaj Tehreek, earlier that year. The Iqrar Ul Hassan biography today is really a story in two acts: two decades as Pakistan’s most recognizable investigative anchor, followed by an unexpected pivot into grassroots politics.

Quick Facts

Early Life and Education

Iqrar Ul Hassan was born on May 29, 1984, in Lahore. Multiple profiles describe his early background as coming from a modest, media-adjacent household, though detailed, independently verified information about his parents and siblings is limited — different outlets describe his father differently, and this detail should be treated as rather than settled fact. What is consistently reported is that he pursued higher education at Government College University (GCU) in Lahore, one of Punjab’s older and better-known public universities, with a course of study most commonly described as spanning communication/media studies and political science.

His entry into journalism itself has become part of his public narrative: reporting from April 2026 describes him auditioning in Lahore in 2005 among roughly 5,000 applicants, of whom seventeen were shortlisted and two were hired — an account he has referenced himself in discussing his departure from the industry two decades later.

Family Background

Iqrar Ul Hassan’s personal life has been a recurring subject of Pakistani entertainment and social media coverage, largely because he has been married three times: first in 2005 to journalist Qurat-ul-Ain Hassan, then in 2012 to TV journalist Farah Yousuf, and in 2023 to former Daily Pakistan host and YouTuber Aroosa Khan. He has publicly stated that his subsequent marriages had the knowledge and involvement of his earlier wives, though the nature of the relationships between the three women is understood mainly through his own public statements rather than independent confirmation, and should be read as his account rather than verified fact.

His son with first wife Qurat-ul-Ain, Pehlaaj Hassan, is a child actor who played the young version of the lead character in the drama Alif alongside Hamza Ali Abbasi, a performance that was reportedly nominated for Best Emerging Talent at the Lux Style Awards. No daughters are publicly documented. Details of his extended family (parents, siblings) remain inconsistently reported across sources and are marked in this article rather than stated as fact.

Professional Career

Early Career and Rise at ARY News (2005–2015)

Iqrar Ul Hassan joined ARY News (then ARY One World) around 2005–2006 as a newscaster and reporter. His profile grew steadily through general reporting before he moved into the format that would define his career: live, confrontational, sting-operation-based investigative journalism.

Sar-e-Aam Era (2012/2015–2026)

Sar-e-Aam became ARY News’ flagship investigative program, with Hassan’s team conducting undercover operations targeting factory owners, “spiritual healers,” police stations, and adulterated-food sellers. The show’s most widely cited controversy came in 2016, when Hassan and his Sar-e-Aam team were arrested on the orders of the Sindh Home Minister after exposing security lapses at the Provincial Assembly of Sindh by bringing an armed individual into the premises using media credentials — an operation that drew both praise for exposing a genuine lapse and criticism over its methods.

Throughout this period he also hosted other ARY programming, including live Ramadan transmissions such as Shaan-e-Ramzan, and built a large following across Facebook, X, and TikTok.

Exit from Journalism and Political Launch (2026)

In January 2026, Hassan announced the formation of a new political party, Pakistan Awam Raj Tehreek (Pakistan People’s Rule Movement), at a press conference at the Lahore Press Club, pledging he would never accept any government or party office himself. He described the party as a democratic platform belonging to the public rather than any single family or individual, and said it would not involve hereditary leadership.

Three months later, on 16 April 2026, coverage confirmed that Hassan had resigned from ARY News after 21 years to join the Awam Raaj Movement full-time, ending his run as Sar-e-Aam host. He addressed the move directly, saying he had to choose between ARY and the movement, and chose the latter. Reporting on the resignation noted he acknowledged having no significant personal savings and being uncertain about future income, but said he remained committed to the political mission.

Controversies

Iqrar Ul Hassan’s career has generated several rounds of public controversy:

• 2016 Sindh Assembly arrest: His team’s sting operation, while professionally celebrated, led to a same-day arrest and brief detention.
• Multiple marriages: His second (2012) and third (2023) marriages each drew public debate around polygamy and family dynamics in a media-figure context; he has consistently addressed the criticism publicly rather than avoiding it.
• 2026 dispute with actress Fazila Qazi: In late May/June 2026, veteran actress Fazila Qazi publicly criticized Hassan on social media, saying she felt she had misjudged his character and questioning what she characterized as his fixation on former Prime Minister Imran Khan in his political commentary. She said she had seen several of his videos and had come to doubt that his intentions were as pure as she once believed, and separately urged him toward greater self-reflection. Hassan responded on Hina Niazi’s podcast Suno To Sahi, saying he was surprised by her remarks given their previously cordial relationship, and that he chose not to respond to her directly on social media out of respect. This exchange is presented here as a documented public dispute between two media figures; neither party’s characterization of the other is treated as settled fact.

Iqrar Ul Hassan in 2026

2026 has been the most consequential year of Hassan’s public life to date. He launched Pakistan Awaam Raaj Tehreek (PART) in January, formally resigned from ARY News and Sar-e-Aam in April after 21 years, and has since split his public activity between building the new political movement and responding to renewed public scrutiny of his personal life, including the June 2026 exchange with Fazila Qazi. Some 2026 coverage has referenced plans for him to contest specific seats; this claim, sourced to a single tertiary reference, could not be independently confirmed against primary Election Commission or party filings and should be checked before publication. As of mid-2026, he is no longer a working ARY News anchor, and Sar-e-Aam‘s future hosting arrangement under a new presenter has not been detailed in the sources reviewed for this piece.

Achievements and Recognition

Sar-e-Aam is widely credited within Pakistani media coverage as one of the country’s most recognized investigative-format programs, with individual episodes reported to have prompted local inquiries and public reaction on issues like adulterated food and fraudulent faith-healing operations. Several third-party profiles reference an unspecified “Best Investigative Journalist” recognition at Pakistan media award ceremonies; the exact award, year, and issuing body could not be independently verified in this research pass and are marked.

Personal Life

Hassan has generally been described as based between Lahore and Karachi over different periods of his career. He has spoken publicly, including in the 2026 podcast appearance referenced above, about balancing a blended family — three wives and one son — under sustained media attention, and has repeatedly used his own social media accounts to address rumors about his family directly rather than staying silent on them.

Net Worth

Public estimates of Iqrar Ul Hassan’s net worth vary enormously across unofficial sources, ranging from roughly $100,000 to $6 million USD depending on the outlet, with no primary financial disclosure available to confirm any single figure. Given that he has publicly stated he left ARY News with limited personal savings to pursue his political movement full-time, older, higher net-worth estimates from his television-anchor years should be treated with particular caution and are not restated here as current fact.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: July 2026.