Najma Sadeque

Najma Sadeque was a Pakistani journalist, activist, and writer who worked on various aspects of women's rights, human rights, and socioeconomic issues. She was the daughter of a scholar who translated the poetry of Hafiz Shirazi from Persian to Sindhi, and the sister of a well-known author and researcher. She was a former model and computer engineer who graduated from Columbia University with a master's degree in journalism. She wrote for various magazines such as Marie Claire, Dawn, Herald, The Express Tribune, and The Caravan. She also collaborated with her husband on several video projects. She was known for her brave and insightful reporting on topics such as colorism, religious persecution, cultural assimilation, and violence against women. She also wrote several books on social issues of Sindh, such as Sindh aur Nigah-i-Qadarshanas and Islamic Art and Culture of Sindh. She co-founded Shirkat Gah in 1975, a women's NGO to highlight human rights violations against women. She also co-founded the Women's Action Forum (WAF) in Pakistan in 1981; this was mainly dictated by the violations of women's rights under the laws promulgated by General Zia-ul-Haq, then President of Pakistan. She produced the "WE – a weekly magazine" for The News, later renamed as "The News on Friday" and further changed to "The News on Sunday", which covered a wide spectrum of topics. After leaving The News, she worked as a freelance journalist for several newspapers, including The News, on subjects related to human rights, gender issues, and the environment. After she discontinued working for the newspapers, she devoted her time mostly to promote the activities of the Shirkat Gah and the WAF. She died of natural causes at her home in Karachi on 8 January 2015. She was 72 years old. Her death sparked an outpouring of grief and tributes from the media industry and beyond. She was praised for breaking the stereotypes of beauty in Pakistan and empowering darker-skinned women. She was described as stunning, unapologetic, professional, and talented by her colleagues and friends.