There’s a man behind any successful woman: Veteran broadcaster Ishrat Fatima shares her own journey

Veteran broadcaster and radio jockey Ishrat Fatima, on Nida Yasir’s Ramazan transmission, shared that she believes every successful woman, especially in her field, had a man behind her supporting and making her who she was.

Earlier this week, Nida Yasir hosted a news anchors’ special episode during her Ramazan transmission where she invited the veteran news presenters Ghazala Yasmeen and Fatima. The panel also included actor Saba Faisal and young newscaster Sadaf Abdul Jabbar.

While the women shared their stories of breaking into a male-dominated field and becoming pioneers, Fatima noted how all the guests had a man behind their success – be it a father, brother or husband, who encouraged them to pursue their passion.

“All four of us are saying the same thing that a man, whether a father, a sibling, or a grandfather is behind our successes. My grandfather taught me pronunciation, he’d sit with a newspaper and make me practise and then my father gave me permission to pursue this field which was a big deal during those times,” she said. “My mother, who was a school teacher, even used to ask me not to tell anyone that a male makeup artist does my hair and makeup. She’d ask me to lie and say that women do it because our society is like that, you know.”

She further shared how her sister travelling alone as an unmarried woman was an issue too but it was only her husband’s voice that could shut the relatives. “One of my sisters is in Voice of America now but she was unmarried when she was going to the USA. Everyone would say that they wouldn’t permit her to go. ‘Shaadi nahi huwi toh kaise jayegi voh? (How can she go without marrying someone here)’ Then I asked my husband to understand that marriage shouldn’t be a limitation for her especially when there’s an opportunity on the door and that he shouldn’t say what everyone is saying. Saqib then asked my mother and father to let my sister go,” Fatima recalled.

“What I’m trying to say is that behind all of us, behind all of your successes, there’s a man,” she asserted and everyone agreed, suggesting that they wouldn’t be where they are without male support in their life.

Fatima also spoke about her journey from the radio show Khel Aur Khiladi to being the face of 9 pm daily news on Pakistan television. Despite coming from a Punjabi family, she was known for her command over the Urdu language – all thanks to her mother. “My mother was a school teacher, and she would always keep us busy in digests and books,” she said, adding that all of her siblings were bound by her parents to converse in Urdu at home, which also aided in her fluency.

“I was in grade 9 when I began hosting on the radio, however, my first news presentation was on TV. I had gone to audition for weather updates on PTV but the producer asked me to audition for daily news instead. I was approved the very next day, and they called me in for the rehearsals of telly prompter,” she added.

Known for being the epitome of poise and elegance, Fatima was the face of daily Urdu news Khabarnama during the 80s and 90s. She has also been conferred with several civil honours for her services, including the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, Nigar Award and Pride of Performance.

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