PFUJ recalls November 3, 2007 emergency as Pakistan’s darkest day
November 03, 2025: PFUJ recalls November 3, 2007, as Pakistan’s darkest day under Musharraf, urging protection for journalists and the abolition of laws threatening press freedom.
JournalismPakistan.com | Published 11 years ago | Daud Malik
Join our WhatsApp channel
ISLAMABAD: Defamation notice sent to Almeida and Editor Dawn, tweeted Shireen Mazari, setting off a tweeting battle on freedom of expression, with some tongue-in-cheek comments.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader reacted strongly to Cyril Almeida’s assertion in his Sunday column that in the context of talks with the Taliban, Imran Khan is “the man who sold Pakistan”.
Repeatedly calling the PTI chief as Taliban Khan, who has the knack of simplifying complex issues, Cyril ended his article with the pronouncement: “Drinking from the fountain of refreshing truth, oblivious to its source. Lapping up Imran. Lapping up Taliban Khan, the man who sold Pakistan.”
Before announcing the decision of sending defamation notice, Shireen Mazari angrily tweeted: Shameful how IK who led Pak 2 World Cup victory, gave SKMTH, Namal Coll, & brought his overseas assets 2 Pak is accused of "selling out" Pak1/2 and 2/2 What has Almeida done 4 Pak? Sold out 2 $$s? He shd look up word "to sell out" & then look in the mirror first! Will be taking him 2 court!
Cyril was quick to reply. A midnight defamation notice, on a Sunday no less. Will leave the paper/lawyers to handle it. Ah, the excitement. And he also reposted the article, saying never re-posted a piece before, but then, never been sent a defamation notice before.
Though many tweeters thought that the PTI should not have reacted strongly to an opinion piece, others made light of the PTI's reaction. Journalist/columnist Nadeem F. Paracha was quick to pounce, calling Mazari apa, he tweeted: Apa Mazari very angry at Dawn. Making lots of dollar signs and exclamation marks in her tweets. Maybe reads too many comic books.
Abbas Nasir, a former editor of Dawn, didn’t like Mazari’s hint that Cyril has sold himself for dollars. He said: A columnist's opinion is slander. Saying all with an opposing point of view sold themselves for dollars is insaf? Hehehe.
Not to be left behind, veteran journalist Nusrat Javeed, known for his battles with the PTI trolls, tweeted: What an exciting news: Cyril gets a notice for his column on Sunday!!
However, earlier, he thought that the PTI trolls did not protest strongly over the Cyril article, and he did not feel “good about it.”
This episode comes on the heels of Dawn newspaper mixing the PTI with the outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) twice in the past few months.
In the second instance, the intro of the story read: "Clouds of doubts surrounding the proposed peace talks between the government and the outlawed Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) further thickened on Tuesday......" It prompted a correction and regret from the Editor, with the announcement that this “negligence in editing was being investigated.”
November 03, 2025: PFUJ recalls November 3, 2007, as Pakistan’s darkest day under Musharraf, urging protection for journalists and the abolition of laws threatening press freedom.
November 02, 2025: PFUJ urges Pakistan’s federal and provincial governments to end Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists and ensure their safety and press freedom.
November 02, 2025: Impunity for crimes against journalists deepens worldwide as Pakistan reports a 60 percent surge in attacks and weak enforcement of safety laws.
November 01, 2025: Pakistan Press Foundation reports 137 attacks on journalists in 2025, highlighting rising threats, legal harassment, and censorship on the International Day to End Impunity.
November 01, 2025: A viral Samaa TV clip featuring MNA Sher Afzal Marwat’s crude remarks and Talat Hussain’s laughter raises questions about the declining ethics of Pakistani television.
October 31, 2025: Police foiled a plot to kill DawnNewsTV journalist Tahir Naseer in Rawalpindi after arresting suspects hired for Rs200,000. Naseer says threats followed his reporting.
October 31, 2025: CPJ calls on Pakistan to bring Imtiaz Mir’s killers to justice after the journalist was allegedly murdered by a banned militant group in Karachi.
October 30, 2025: The PFUJ has condemned a fabricated drug case against journalist Matiullah Jan, calling it an attempt to silence him and urging authorities to quash the charges immediately.
November 03, 2025 Global journalist unions condemn the Indonesian agriculture minister’s lawsuit against Tempo, calling it a threat to press freedom and demanding that the case be withdrawn.
November 02, 2025 Independent outlet All About Macau to halt print and online operations amid rising pressure, financial strain, and legal threats, sparking press freedom concerns in the city.
November 01, 2025 Belarus court jails journalist Siarhei Chabotska for extremism and defaming the president, highlighting Minsk’s ongoing crackdown on press freedom.
November 01, 2025 Mexican journalist Miguel Angel Beltran was found murdered in Durango. CPJ urges authorities to ensure justice amid rising violence against journalists in Mexico.
November 01, 2025 UNESCO survey finds one-third of media lawyers cannot effectively defend journalists due to threats, limited resources, and lack of specialization.