KARACHI: Prof Shahida Kazi, one of the first women journalists of Pakistan in the print media and a great teacher who mentored thousands of students currently associated with different media houses passed away on Saturday after a brief illness. She was 79.

A highly prolific journalist of her time, Prof Kazi had many distinctions to her credit; she was the first woman who received her Master’s degree in journalism from Karachi University (KU) in 1963-65. She was also among the foremost female news producers and news editors of the Pakistan Television.

“It’s a great loss. She was an excellent teacher and a fine human being. She used to encourage us a lot to read diverse subjects and improve our understanding and knowledge,” shared Dr Asmat Ara, one of her students, now heading the mass communication department at the KU.

Recalling her interactions with the late journalist, she said one of Prof Kazi’s special traits was that, unlike other teachers, she appreciated disagreement.

“We never feared sharing our thoughts and opinions with her. Prof Kazi contributed a lot to our personal development for which we would always remain indebted to her,” she added.

Born in 1944, Prof Kazi belonged to a highly distinguished family of Sindh. Her great uncle Allama I.I Kazi was a well-known writer, religious scholar and academic, along with being the founder and the first vice chancellor of Sindh University.

Prof Kazi joined Dawn as the paper’s first woman reporter in 1966 and covered diverse subjects. From 1972 onwards, she worked as a news producer and a news editor at the Asian Television Service (a subsidiary of PTV) and later at the state TV.

In 1985, she joined KU’s mass communication department as a lecturer and later became its chairperson in 1999. She also headed the departments of media studies and mass communication at Jinnah University for Women and Institute of Business Management.

Prof Kazi also received the Cairo Air Crash Journalist Victims Gold Medal.

She penned research articles on media and communication, education, women’s issues and social problems in different magazines and publications. Her books include Television Journalism and Pakistan Studies in Focus. This year, her autobiography Sweet, Sour and Bitter — A Life Well Lived was launched.

She has left behind a son.

Her funeral prayers will be held at Jamia Masjid, Faizan-i-Bismillah, Sunny Side Road, Civil Lines, after Zuhar at 1.15pm on Sunday (today). She will be laid to rest at the KU graveyard.

Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2023