KARACHI: The Centre for Excellence in Journalism at IBA held its second Razia Bhatti Memorial Lecture on Friday. It was delivered by veteran journalist Rahimullah Yusufzai, who has reported widely on the Afghan conflict, besides developments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and tribal areas of the region.

Yusufzai focused on interviews with Osama bin Laden in his lecture titled ‘Reporting in troubled times: tea with Osama bin Laden’, says a press release.

Recalling one of his interviews, he said he found it as an opportunity to ask OBL about those facts of his life that had not been known to the general public till that time. Otherwise a soft-spoken person, bin Laden looked upset when he was asked: “[Isn’t it true that] more Muslims had been killed as a result of the attacks carried out by his group [Al Qaeda], Yusufzai said. “OBL replied that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he added.

Yusufzai also talked on contemporary journalism. “What’s missing in today’s journalism is the practice of following up to happenings,” he felt.

IBA executive director Dr S. Akbar Zaidi and CEJ director Kamal Siddiqi also spoke and commended demonstration of bold journalism and courage by Yusufzai while working in a highly dangerous region.

Published in Dawn, April 11th, 2021