Razia Bhatti
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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 ...
and Newsline magazines. When she died at the age of 52, the
Pakistan Press Foundation The Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) was established in 1967 as a non-profit organisation by the news agency Pakistan Press International and operated until 1974, when it had to suspend operations due to the political environment then prevailing i ...
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 ...
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 The International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF), located in Washington, D.C., is an organization working internationally to elevate the status of women in the media. The IWMF has created programs to help women in the media develop practical so ...
.


Early life

Razia Bhatti was born in 1944 at
Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
. She did her master's degree in English and Journalism from
Karachi University The University of Karachi (; 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 (which is ...
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 Beena Sarwar is a Pakistani journalist, artist and filmmaker focusing on human rights, media and peace. She resides in Boston and is currently the editor of the Aman ki Asha (Hope for Peace) initiative, that aims to develop peace between the ...
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 Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (12 August 192417 August 1988) was a Pakistani military officer and statesman who served as the sixth president of Pakistan from 1978 until his death in an airplane crash in 1988. He also served as the second chief of t ...
'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 Benazir Bhutto (21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990, and again from 1993 to 1996. She was also the first woman elected to head a democratic governmen ...
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, commonly known as PIA, is the flag carrier of Pakistan. With its primary hub at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, the airline also operates from its secondary hubs at Allama Iqbal International Airport ...
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 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 is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
, 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 the Near East. Born in Bih ...
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."


Awards and recognition

* ''The Courage in Journalism Award'' in October 1994 from the
International Women's Media Foundation The International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF), located in Washington, D.C., is an organization working internationally to elevate the status of women in the media. The IWMF has created programs to help women in the media develop practical so ...
(IWMF), United States "for her extraordinary qualities in pursuing work under dangerous circumstances". Veteran Pakistani diplomat, journalist, and now (in 2025) a frequent Pakistani news media commentator
Maleeha Lodhi Maleeha Lodhi (; born 15 November 1952) is a Pakistani diplomat, political scientist, and a former Pakistan's Representative to the United Nations. She was the first woman to hold the position. Previously, she served as Pakistan's envoy to the ...
, who knew Razia Bhatti well, ... writes in a tribute to her:
"I remember when Razia came to New York in October 1994 to receive the courage in journalism award from the international women's foundation. She became the first Pakistani to be honoured for her extraordinary qualities in pursuing work under dangerous circumstances. Razia possessed the three c's of journalist excellence: courage, commitment and credibility".


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 Journalists from Karachi University of Karachi alumni Pakistani magazine editors Pakistani magazine founders