In 1948 Azad joined the Government of India's Ministry of Labour as Editor of Employment News. A few months later he applied for, and secured one of the three posts of Assistant Editor (Urdu) with the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting's Publications Division. He was promoted to Information Officer (Urdu) in 1955. Subsequently, he served as IO (U) in the Ministry of Food & Agriculture; the Ministry of Tourism Shipping & Transport, and the Ministry of Works & Housing with a brief return to the Ministry of I & B (1964–65) and as the first Public Relations Officer in the Ministry of Home Affairs for the newly created Border Security Force.