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DUBLIN: Veteran journalist Robert Fisk and Middle East correspondent for British newspaper ‘The Independent’ passed away at the age of 74.
According to British media, Fisk was admitted to St Vincent’s hospital in Dublin on Friday after suffering a suspected stroke and died shortly afterward.
Federal Planning Minister Asad Umar expressed sadness on the journalist’s death. In a Tweet, he said, “A fearless journalist who understood the Middle East better than almost any other Western journalist and wrote the truth with clarity and without fear.”
The journalist and author covered events, for decades, in the Middle East and elsewhere as a foreign correspondent. He was renowned for his courage in questioning official narratives and publishing frequently brilliant prose.
Christian Boughton, managing director of the Independent, said, “Fearless, uncompromising, determined and utterly committed to uncovering the truth and reality at all costs, Robert Fisk was the greatest journalist of his generation.”
During his decades-long career, he covered key international events including the Lebanese civil war, Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Iranian revolution, Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait, conflicts in the Balkans and Arab Spring.
Fisk won many prestigious awards over the span of his career for his coverage of the Middle East – including the Orwell prize for journalism and multiple wins at the British Press Awards.
Fisk was among the few Western journalists to interview the al-Qaida leader, Osama bin Laden, which he did three times during the 1990s.
