Remembering Tarek Fatah, who used to call himself an Indian born in Pakistan

Noted Pakistani-Canadian columnist Tarek Fatah passed away on Monday after a prolonged battle with Cancer. He was 73. He was an award-winning reporter, columnist, and radio and television commentator.

"Lion of Punjab. Son of Hindustan. Lover of Canada. Speaker of truth. Fighter for justice. Voice of the down-trodden, underdogs, and the oppressed. Tarek Fatah has passed the baton on... his revolution will continue with all who knew and loved him. Will you join us? 1949-2023," his daughter Natasha Fatah, who herself is a journalist, tweeted on April 24.

Born in Karachi, Pakistan and later emigrated to Canada in 1987, Fateh had a huge social media following. He was also a political activist. He was a fierce defender of human rights and a staunch opponent of religious fanaticism in any form.


He had authored books titled The Jew is Not My Enemy: Unveiling the Myths that Fuel Muslim Anti-Semitism and Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State.

Fateh, who was a fierce critic of Pakistan, had reportedly been jailed by Pakistani military several times. He was an advocate for the Baloch separatist movement and had expressed his pride over Indian origin.

One of his famous quotes, as per Wikipedia, was: "I am an Indian born in Pakistan, a Punjabi born in Islam; an immigrant in Canada with a Muslim consciousness, grounded in a Marxist youth. I am one of Salman Rushdie’s many Midnight’s Children: we were snatched from the cradle of a great civilization and made permanent refugees, sent in search of an oasis that turned out to be a mirage."