Veteran news broadcaster Ishrat Fatima has opened up about the circumstances that led to her departure from Radio Pakistan after 45 years of service, describing a heartbreaking end to a career she once considered her greatest passion.
In an emotional video message shared on social media on Thursday, Fatima revealed that her decision to leave was driven by systematic marginalisation despite continued professional excellence on her part.
“What hurts me most today is that my voice is still strong, my eyesight is clear, my pronunciation is good, I reach work on time, and I still love my work deeply,” Fatima said in the video.
The broadcaster, who began her journey with radio and television in 1983 and started reading news in 1984, described her work as more than just a profession. “News reading was not just my profession; it was my biggest passion. For nearly forty-five years, I only read news. This work was not just a job for me, it was my passion, my obsession, my love, and my madness. And it still is,” she explained.
Fatima had hoped to continue working as long as her abilities remained intact. “I always wished that as long as my voice supports me, as long as my breath stays with me, as long as my pronunciation remains clear, and as long as my face is presentable enough for viewers to watch me with ease, I would continue reading news,” she continued.
However, she pointed to unfair treatment that ultimately pushed her out. “Unfortunately, this seems to be a pattern in our society, and perhaps elsewhere too, that when people cannot compete with you through work, they resort to unfair methods. Instead of competing professionally, they try to take away your space, your breath, your platform,” Fatima stated.
Despite being frequently called a “legend”, the industry icon pointed out that those titles never translated into actual respect or opportunity.
“I was often told that I am a ‘legend’ and a ‘senior,’ but those words were never translated into respect, opportunity, or space. Again and again, I was made to feel that I was no longer needed,” she revealed.
The veteran broadcaster expressed deep disappointment with the institutional response to her departure.
“I do not wish to say much against the institution that fed me and gave me respect. But this institution does not feel anything. It has no emotions, no love. It is just walls, corridors, cameras, and ceilings that echo our voices but do not hear them,” she said.
Fatima emphasized that financial gain was never her motivation. “Money was never my priority. Doing my work in the best possible way mattered more to me,” she noted, adding that what truly matters is “being allowed to work with dignity and fairness.”
Despite the pain of her departure, Fatima expressed no bitterness toward the institutions that shaped her career. “I am not angry with these institutions. They are my first love. But destiny has its own path,” she said.
She ended her message by requesting prayers from her audience, asking that “this painful time does not turn my love for this art into resentment.”
Fatima promised to stay connected with her viewers through social media and share memories from her decades-long career in broadcasting.
It merits a mention that officials at Radio Pakistan have not yet commented on the matter.