Aurangabad (Maharashtra): Veteran journalist Fatima R. Zakaria, former editor of The Sunday Times, Mumbai, passed away at a private hospital in Aurangabad on Tuesday due to Covid-19, a close family friend said.
Fatima Zakaria is wife of Dr Rafique Zakaria, former Maharashtra minister and a prominent Islamic scholar. Their son Fareed R. Zakaria is a global media personality.
Fatima Zakaria had been admitted to a local hospital for the past few days, Aurangabad AIMIM MP Syed Imtiaz Jaleel told IANS.
"This is shocking and an irreparable loss to the media fraternity. Details of her last rites and other formalities are being finalised in consultation with her family in view of the stringent Covid restrictions imposed here," he added.
Rafiq Zakaria established The Maulana Azad Education Trust in the historic city of Aurangabad in Maharashtra, India. It was this Assembly Constituency from where he got elected a number of times, and served as a minister in the state cabinet.
Fatima transformed the educational institutions established by her late husband in Aurangabad to such an extent that they can be compared with the best centres of learning in Asia.
Fatima Zakaria joined the Taj Group of Hotels to establish the first rate five star Hotel, The Taj Residency, on the campus of The Maulana Azad Education Trust in Aurangabad, and later introduced a Hotel Management Course in alliance with a British University. She was on the board of Indian Institute of Hotel Management Aurangabad.
She was conferred with Padma Shri award by the Government of India in 2006. Padma Shri is the fourth-highest civilian award given to dignitaries and individuals by the Government of India to acknoweldge their contribution to the nation.
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