Afghan media group condemns arrests and expulsion in Islamabad Internet shutdowns choke reporting from Iran protests Hong Kong court weighs sentencing in Jimmy Lai security case UNESCO warns South Korea's fake news law risks press freedom Turkey honors journalists on Working Journalists’ Day Pakistan journalists face deepening welfare crisis, PFUJ-Workers warns Independent U.S. journalists reshape news ecosystem Venezuelan editors in exile join forces to report crisis RSF launches Iran media help desk for journalists Iran communications blackout deepens media repression, RSF warns Afghan media group condemns arrests and expulsion in Islamabad Internet shutdowns choke reporting from Iran protests Hong Kong court weighs sentencing in Jimmy Lai security case UNESCO warns South Korea's fake news law risks press freedom Turkey honors journalists on Working Journalists’ Day Pakistan journalists face deepening welfare crisis, PFUJ-Workers warns Independent U.S. journalists reshape news ecosystem Venezuelan editors in exile join forces to report crisis RSF launches Iran media help desk for journalists Iran communications blackout deepens media repression, RSF warns
Logo
Janu
Opportunities

Awards for excellence in journalism

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 22 September 2013

Join our WhatsApp channel

Awards for excellence in journalism
The annual Agahi Awards celebrated remarkable contributions to journalism in Pakistan. Held at the PNCA, the event recognized numerous winners across diverse categories.

ISLAMABAD: The annual Agahi Awards for excellence in journalism were held Saturday at the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA).

Puruesh Chaudhary, Founder and President, Agahi and Amir Jahangir Chief Executive Officer, Mishal Pakistan founded these awards in 2012.

The following were the award winners: Naveen Mangi (Bloomberg) Business and Economy; Maliha Naz Rana from Herald in Health and Primary Education; Shakeel Ahmad (DawnNews) Higher Education and Training; Zahir Shah Sherazi (DawnNews) in Infrastructure; Abdur Rauf (The Express Tribune) for Institutions; Maimoona Saeed (Geo News) for Labor Market Efficiency; Ghulam Mohiuddin (Aaj TV) for Environment; Shabina Faraz (Jang) in Climate Change; Zahid Gishkori (The Express Tribune) in Flood and Disaster Reporting;, Sehrish Wasif (The Express Tribune) in Disaster and Catastrophe; Xari Jalil (Dawn) in Governance; A.B. Arisar (Dawn) in Corruption; Asad Kharal (The Express Tribune) for Law & Order; Hanif Samoon (Dawn.com) in Health; Din Muhammad Watanpal (Daily Qudrat, Quetta) for Child Survival; Sarwar Baloch (VSH News) in Health & Nutrition; Ali Usman (The Express Tribune) for Non-Communicable Diseases; Zia ur Rehman (The Friday Times) for Polio Immunization; Aslam Chandio (Online News Agency) for Energy, Water & Food Security; Sarah Munir (The Express Tribune) on Media Ethics; Syed Ali Shah (DawnNews) for Media Safety; Ashraf Javed (The Nation) for Crime Reporting; Shahzada Irfan Ahmad (The News) for Corporate Social Responsibility, Zahir Shah Sherazi (Dawn News) in Democratic Values and Dignity; Bina Shah (Blogger) in Education; Zia ur Rehman (The Friday Times) for Extremism and Terrorism; Shahzada Irfan Ahmad (The News) in Gender; A.B. Arrisar (Dawn) in Gender - Economic Opportunity; Abdul Shakoor (APP) in Gender - Health and Survival; Zia ur Rehman (The Friday Times) in Gender - Political Empowerment; Aamir Saeed (Pique Magazine) for Human Rights; Fazal Khaliq (The Express Tribune) in Child Protection; Kiran Nazish (Dawn.com) for Child Rights; A.B. Arisar in Gender -Domestic Violence; Zia ur Rehman (The Friday Times) in Minorities & Marginalized Communities; Mehtab Haider (The News) in Political & Regularity Environment; Jawwad Rizvi (The News) in Market Environment; Faseeh Mangi (Bloomberg) in Infotainment, Mubashar Zaidi (Dawn.com) in Journalism for Peace; Muhammad Irfan Haider (Picture) (Dawn) for Conflict Reporting; Asad Kharal (The Express Tribune) in Judiciary; Zeeshan Anwar (Daily Express) in Court Reporting, Zahir Shah Sherazi (Dawn.com) in Photo Journalism; Aslam Chandio (Online News Agency) in Sports.

Geo New won the Peoples' Choice Award for the Favorite News Channel for the second year running.

The Current Affairs Anchor of the Year Award went to emerging anchors - Iqrar ul Hassan (ARY News) and Alia Nazki (BBC Urdu), as the Emerging Current Affair Anchor of the Year in the male and female categories. Investigative Journalist of the Year award was won by Asad Kharal (The Express Tribune).

Ejaz Haider of Capital TV was awarded the Most Credible Anchor based on the Media Credibility Index developed in collaboration with more than 10 journalism schools in Pakistan.

KEY POINTS:

  • Awards established in 2012 by Puruesh Chaudhary and Amir Jahangir.
  • Geo News won the People's Choice Award for the second consecutive year.
  • Asad Kharal received the Investigative Journalist of the Year award.
  • Iqrar ul Hassan and Alia Nazki named Emerging Current Affairs Anchors.
  • Ejaz Haider honored as the Most Credible Anchor based on a Media Credibility Index.

Read Next

Newsroom
Afghan media group condemns arrests and expulsion in Islamabad

Afghan media group condemns arrests and expulsion in Islamabad

 January 12, 2026 AMSO condemned arrests and the deportation of Afghan journalists by Pakistani police in Islamabad, calling the actions illegal and a threat to press freedom.


Internet shutdowns choke reporting from Iran protests

Internet shutdowns choke reporting from Iran protests

 January 12, 2026 Internet shutdowns and network throttling in Iran are crippling journalists and media, impeding reporting, verification and sharing of protest information.


Hong Kong court weighs sentencing in Jimmy Lai security case

Hong Kong court weighs sentencing in Jimmy Lai security case

 January 12, 2026 High Court hearings began to sentence Jimmy Lai and co-defendants convicted under Hong Kong's national security law, with potential life terms and implications for press freedom.


UNESCO warns South Korea's fake news law risks press freedom

UNESCO warns South Korea's fake news law risks press freedom

 January 12, 2026 UNESCO warns South Korea's new 'fake news' law uses vague definitions and broad enforcement powers that could erode press freedom and spur self-censorship.


Turkey honors journalists on Working Journalists' Day

Turkey honors journalists on Working Journalists' Day

 January 11, 2026 Turkey observed Working Journalists' Day on Jan. 10 with official tributes, praising reporters' work and press freedom amid concerns over media restrictions.


Popular Stories