Sabihuddin Ghausi صبیح الدین غوثی | |
|---|---|
| Born | Sabihuddin Ghausi 8 December 1943[1] |
| Died | 26 March 2009(2009-03-26) (aged 65)[2] Karachi, Pakistan |
| Nationality | Pakistani |
| Occupation | journalist[2] |
Sabihuddin Ghausi (Urdu:صبیح الدین غوثی) was an acclaimedPakistanijournalist and anactivist for the cause of the community of journalism in Pakistan.[2] According to one obituary, he was bold and he wrote what he thought was right.[3][1]
Ghausi was born inAhmedabad, in the state ofGujarat, India. His father was a sessions judge atJunagadh High Court and also served as revenue commissioner inManavadar. After the partition in 1947, the family migrated toPakistan. Ghausi received hisB.A degree from Islamia College, Karachi andM.A degree from theUniversity of Karachi. He began his career as an officer atHabib Bank, but he resigned from the bank and joined journalism in 1970.[2]
Ghausi started his journalistic career joiningDaily Sun, his first newspaper job in 1970. He also worked forPakistan Press International (PPI),Business Recorder,Morning News andMuslim newspapers. Later he joined the dailyDawn (newspaper) in 1988 and worked there for past two decades.[1]He was respected for his credibility, courage and commitment by the Karachi's journalism community. He was elected four times as president ofKarachi Press Club and two times as president of Karachi Branch ofPakistan Federal Union of Journalists.[2]
Ghausi was jailed duringZia-ul-Haq’s military rule and lost his job. He still remained active and also took part in protests against the former military rulerPervez Musharraf’s crackdown on the media. He was also a good speaker, and he never hesitated to ask shocking questions.[3]
Journalist Amir Zia wrote:
"He often painted a bleak and dismal picture of the state of affairs in Pakistan. His sense of loss of the disappearances of all the values dear to him – from social and individual liberties to freedom of expression, democracy and human rights – was great. Stories byQurratulain Hyder, the poetry ofHabib Jalib, tales of his favourite cityMumbai, the tragedy ofBangladesh, military rule in Pakistan and democratic system of government were some of Ghausi’s favourite and recurring topics."[3]
He died inKarachi on 26 March 2009 at the age of 65.[4]