A household name in South Asia, as a BBC correspondent, he was known for his calm, credible, and in-depth reporting.
Dr. Akhtar Gulfam, Editor-in-Chief,Daily Dawn, Director News, Dawn TV
London: Veteran and renowned journalist Mark Tully is no more; he was 90. With his passing, broadcast journalism loses one of its most enduring and authoritative voices.
From the 1970s to the early 1990s, Mark Tully was a household name across South Asia. As a BBC correspondent in the region, he was known for his calm, credible and in-depth reporting.
He brought important events from the subcontinent to the world. From the news of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s hanging in 1979 to his coverage of Operation Blue Star, and being the first person to report on the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984, Mark Tully was everywhere, recording history as it were. He had to risk his life to report on the demolition of the Babri Masjid. Mark had been based in Delhi for the past several decades.
For Mark Tully, journalism was not just about reporting events but also about understanding and knowing societies. This philosophy also took the form of writing. His books, including Raj to Raj, Novel Stops in India, and Amritsar: Mrs Gandhi’s Last Battle, are notable.
Analysts say Mark Tully’s death marks the end of an era when foreign correspondents were reliable witnesses and interpreters of history.
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