Tributes pour in as Ishrat Fatima bids farewell to Radio Pakistan after 45 years

Veteran broadcaster Ishrat Fatima has concluded her 45-year-long association with Radio Pakistan, drawing tributes from all walks of life, including the journalist fraternity.

"Today I am saying farewell to my 45-year association with Radio Pakistan. Before bidding farewell, I would like to thank you [audience] and Radio Pakistan from the bottom of my heart,” the news presenter said in a farewell speech on the state-run broadcaster.

Fatima said that during her four-and-a-half-decade-long association with Radio Pakistan and Pakistan Television, she had been overwhelmed by the love and respect of the audience, adding that she was able to reach people’s homes and hearts.

Fatima emerged as one of the most recognisable faces of Pakistani broadcast journalism during the 1980s and 1990s, when she anchored the widely watched 9pm daily Urdu news bulletin Khabarnama.

Over the years, she became a benchmark for news presentation in Pakistan, earning widespread respect for her professionalism and diction.

In recognition of her services to broadcasting, she received several prestigious honours, including the Pride of Performance Award in 2019, the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz (Medal of Excellence) from the government of Pakistan, and the Nigar Award.

Following the announcement, tributes poured in with journalists praising her "remarkable" 45-year-long journey.

Senior journalist Asma Shirazi paid tribute to veteran broadcaster Ishrat Fatima, calling her an "icon, inspiration and a role model."

She recalled that her father often wished she could read the news like Fatima. She said she later read the news on Geo to fulfil that promise even after her father’s passing, adding that Fatima would always remain in her prayers.

Another journalist, Zahid Ghiskhori, also paid tribute to the broadcaster.

'I was made to feel I was not needed'

On her official YouTube channel, the legendary broadcaster explained her reasons for quitting Radio Pakistan after a 45-year-long journey.

In an emotional address, Fatima said she began her journey as a newsreader in 1984 and had been associated with radio and television since 1983. She said that reading the news had never been just a job for her but a "passion, obsession and deep personal commitment".

She noted that even after 45 years in the profession, she continued to receive immense love and respect from viewers, which she described as her greatest achievement. However, she lamented that when people are unable to compete professionally, they often resort to negative tactics.

"I don't know if it's the custom of our society, but when people cannot compete with your work, they resort to negative tactics," she said, adding: "I was repeatedly made to feel that I was no longer needed."

She noted that institutions themselves are emotionless structures, unlike the people who serve them. She expressed deep pain over the decision, saying that her voice and vision were still intact and that her love for her work remained unchanged.