Fariha Razzaq Haroon
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Fariha Razak Haroon (15 November 1956 – 1 February 2018) was a
Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...
politician and journalist who was a member of the
Provincial Assembly of Sindh The Provincial Assembly of Sindh is a unicameral legislature of elected representatives of the Pakistani province of Sindh, and is located in Karachi, its provincial capital. It was established under Article 106 of the Constitution of Pakis ...
from 2002 to 2007. She became the first Pakistani writer to be recognised by the
International Federation of Journalists The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is the largest global union federation of journalists' trade unions in the world. It represents more than 600,000 media workers from 187 organisations in 146 countries. The IFJ is an associate ...
. Her writing also earned her and Pakistan for the first time the prized European Commission's "Lorenzo Natali Prize for Journalism" in 2000.


Early life and education

Fariha Razak Haroon was the daughter of an eminent civil engineer Abdul Razaq, who worked as a Chief Engineering Advisor to the Saudi Royal Air Force, after retirement as an Engineer in Chief Directorate of the Pakistan Army. He later went on to serve in politics and assisted Benazir Bhutto during her tenure as a Prime Minister. Fariha's mother Nishat Afza was a poet and an eminent social worker, graduated from
Punjab University Punjab University may refer to: India * Punjab Agricultural University, a state agricultural university in Ludhiana, Punjab * I. K. Gujral Punjab Technical University, a state university in Kapurthala, Punjab * Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Techn ...
. During her time in the Punjab Assembly, she moved many private bills and motions for human rights and for the underprivileged. She hailed from Toba Tek Singh where her family was operating a radio station since 2007. Fariha completed her schooling from Convent of Jesus and Mary, Murree, as a high performing student she excelled in studies, as well as sports. She was captain of the volleyball team and was also presented with a lifetime achievement award by the school for being an outstanding student and in recognition of her accomplishments. She studied Communications & Journalism Innovation at
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
, USA, as well as English Literature and French from Kinnaird College in Lahore, Pakistan. She also earned a fellowship in Social Justice & Democracy, at
University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...
, UK, and was an alumnus of the National Defence University, Islamabad. She earned a bachelor of arts degree. She was a journalist, who remained Director Public Relations with the
Jang Group of Newspapers Jang Media Group (), also known as Geo Group, is a Pakistani media conglomerate and a subsidiary of Dubai-based company Independent Media Corporation. It has headquarters in Printing House, Karachi. It is the publisher of the Urdu language new ...
. Razzaq married Hazar Khan Bijarani in 2008. Her illustrious career as a writer won her various accolades as an eloquent journalist and human rights activist. Over a span of 30 years, she wrote more than 1,000 articles for national and international publications.


Political career

She was nominated as the candidate of the
Pakistan People's Party The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is a political party in Pakistan and one of the three major Pakistani political parties alongside the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. With a centre-left political position, it is cu ...
(PPP) for the reserved seats for women. She was elected to the assembly in 2002,
Provincial Assembly of Sindh The Provincial Assembly of Sindh is a unicameral legislature of elected representatives of the Pakistani province of Sindh, and is located in Karachi, its provincial capital. It was established under Article 106 of the Constitution of Pakis ...
as a candidate for a reserved seat for women in the
2002 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on 10 October 2002 to elect the 12th National Assembly and four Provincial Assemblies. The elections were held under the military government of Pervez Musharraf. The two mainstream parties, Pakistan ...
. As a member of the assembly, she took up significant social and human rights causes to support, specifically: Karo Kari, domestic violence, runaway marriages, child labour, women’s rights and forced labour. She was involved with multiple NGOs, including the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, to support various significant causes. She held workshops and regularly toured the interior parts of the country to create awareness on transitional justice, conflict prevention, family planning, education, human rights and peace building.


Awards and acknowledgments

She was honoured with the prestigious "Annual Muslim Award" by the House of Lords in 2003. This prestigious award is bestowed on behalf of the Queen of the United Kingdom. She also received by the Prime Minister of Pakistan the "Madar-i-Millat Award" in 2003 for her selfless dedication to improve the status of the underprivileged in society. In 2007, she was awarded the "Service to the Nation Award". She was recognised by the Pakistan British Trust on Pakistan’s 60th year for the Power 100 list of Pakistani people, who have accomplished the very highest levels of achievement.


Highest national award

On Independence Day, 14 August 2019, President of Pakistan approved the conferment of Pakistan Civil Award Tamgha-i-Imtiaz for her outstanding services to the State of Pakistan. This recognition was based on her work and services over the last three decades for highlighting human and especially women’s rights in Pakistan.


Death

On 1 February 2018, Fariha Razak Haroon was found dead in her home in Karachi along with her husband Hazar Khan Bijarani. Family and PPP have confirmed that the couple suffered gunshot wounds. Police said the death appeared to be a murder-suicide.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Razzaq Haroon, Fariha 1956 births 2018 deaths 21st-century journalists 21st-century Pakistani women politicians 21st-century women journalists Deaths by firearm in Pakistan Murder–suicides in Pakistan Pakistan People's Party politicians Pakistani murder victims Pakistani women journalists People from Toba Tek Singh District People murdered in Pakistan Sindh MPAs 2002–2007