Razia Bhatti (Urdu: رضیہ بھٹی) (born 1944 – died 12 March 1996) was a Pakistani journalist who served as editor of the
Herald
A herald, or a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is commonly applied more broadly to all officers of arms.
Heralds were originally messengers sent by monarchs or noblemen to ...
and
Newsline magazines. When she died at the age of 52, the
Pakistan Press Foundation called it "end of a golden chapter of journalism in Pakistan." Bhatti founded staff-owned
Newsline magazine with the help of other female journalists after leaving
Herald
A herald, or a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is commonly applied more broadly to all officers of arms.
Heralds were originally messengers sent by monarchs or noblemen to ...
magazine.
She was the editor of Pakistani magazine Herald for 12 years and then she founded Newsline and edited it for 8 years. In 1994, Bhatti received the “Courage in Journalism” award from the New York-based
International Women's Media Foundation.
[
]
Early life
Razia Bhatti was born in 1944 at Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...
. She did her master's degree in English and Journalism from Karachi University
The University of Karachi ( sd, ; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh ...
and then decided to join professional journalism as her career.
Journalism
Razia Bhatti's professional career spanned thirty years. In 1967, she joined the Pakistani magazine ''The Illustrated Weekly of Pakistan'', later renamed as ''The Herald'' and turned it into a monthly publication with focus on current and political issues. Bhatti became the assistant editor of Herald in 1970 and editor in 1976. The censorship imposed on press during General Zia-ul-Haq's martial law did not deter Bhatti and she continued reporting. "General Zia once got so infuriated that he waved a copy of her article at a press conference and said he would not tolerate such journalism," recalls Beena Sarwar in her article, Razia Bhatti and Najma Babar: Two Champions of Independent Journalism in Pakistan. After she was pressurized to write in support of the policies of General Zia Ul-Haq
General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq HI, GCSJ, ร.ม.ภ, (Urdu: ; 12 August 1924 – 17 August 1988) was a Pakistani four-star general and politician who became the sixth President of Pakistan following a coup and declaration of martial law i ...
's regime, Razia Bhatti resigned from the magazine.
Founding Newsline
After receiving pressure to curb her writing, most of her team of journalists resigned from ''The Herald'' along with her and together they established a new staff-owned current affairs monthly magazine called Newsline. Newsline was first published with Bhatti's editorial note in July 1989, that began:
The ''Newsline'' magazine under Razia Bhatti's editorship covered a number of issues including drug cartels, ethnic and fascist political parties, militant Islamic groups, a president's son-in-law, a prime minister's spouse and successive governments during her career. She broke taboos and transgressed limits imposed on freedom of expression by authoritarian regimes as well as a conservative society. Throughout her career, Bhatti was driven to present unbiased, accurate and comprehensive reports on issues affecting the people of Pakistan. She was known to champion social causes, and campaigned against Government corruption.[
In December 1994, Newsline magazine published an article criticizing then Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto for her inaction in the face of random killings, looting and high crime rate in the largest city of Pakistan, Karachi. Benazir Bhutto reacted to the criticism by banning Newsline magazine from the government-owned ]Pakistan International Airlines
Pakistan International Airlines ( ur, ; abbreviated PIA, ur, ) is an international airline that serves as the national flag carrier of Pakistan under the administrative control of the Secretary to the Government of Pakistan for Aviation. It ...
flights. Nothing intimidated Razia Bhatti and her staff at the magazine Newsline, and their reporting on the shortcomings of Benazir Bhutto government continued.[
]
Personal life and legacy
Razia Bhatti was married to Gul Hameed Bhatti
Gul Hameed Bhatti (1947 – 4 February 2010) was a Pakistani journalist, editor and a leading sports writer. Known as Pakistan's "Encyclopaedia of Cricket", Bhatti wrote for ''The Cricketer'', published from Karachi. and had two children - Kamil and Sara. Razia Bhatti died on 12 March 1996 at age 52. She suffered from high blood pressure and died of a brain hemorrhage at her home in Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...
, Pakistan.
After her death, a noted Pakistani scholar and journalist Eqbal Ahmad
Eqbal Ahmad (1933 – 11 May 1999) was a Pakistani political scientist, writer and academic known for his anti-war activism, his support for resistance movements globally and academic contributions to the study of Near East. Born in Bihar, ...
wrote in his tribute to Razia Bhatti,"She will crash, I had thought then, or else she will help transform journalism in Pakistan. She did both."[
]
See also
Newsline (magazine)
''Newsline'' was a Pakistani monthly English current affairs and political magazine owned by Hum Network. It was published from 1989 to 2019 in Karachi, Pakistan.
History
''Newsline'' was started in July 1989. Razia Bhatti (1944 – 1996), ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhatti, Razia
Pakistani women journalists
1944 births
1996 deaths
People from Karachi
University of Karachi alumni
Pakistani magazine editors
Pakistani magazine founders