Senior Pakistani journalist and columnist Nazir Naji passed away here on Wednesday after a prolonged illness. The 86-year-old breathed his last at a private hospital in Lahore where he was admitted. He had remained associated with different mainstream media groups for the last several decades. Naji served 27 years for Urdu publication Daily Jang as senior columnist. He was formerly chairman of the Pakistan Academy of Letters. In 2012, he bid adieu to Jang Group and joined Dunya as Group Editor. The veteran journalist has been honored by Hilal-i-Imtiaz for his services.