Ayaz Amir's column they didn't want you to read

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 4 August 2025 |  JP Staff Report

Ayaz Amir's column critiquing a powerful real estate mogul was absent from Daily Dunya, raising questions about media censorship. Amir's struggles with publication reflect broader issues in Pakistan's media landscape.

Summary

ISLAMABAD— Ayaz Amir, one of Pakistan’s most seasoned and fearless columnists, is once again at the center of a media storm. His Sunday column was conspicuously missing from Daily Dunya, sparking intense speculation.

Journalist Nabeel Anwar Dhakku revealed on Facebook that the column was written, but “Daily Dunya couldn’t bear its weight.” The piece, titled “How did the state fall into the grip of property tycoons?”, reportedly critiqued the silent fall from grace of a once-untouchable real estate mogul—clearly a reference to Malik Riaz—without naming him.

Amir wrote, “The housing society that was once untouchable is now in a tight spot… reports from Dubai suggest they couldn’t stay there either, and may have had to move to Malta—though that hasn’t been confirmed yet.”

In another chilling observation, he noted: “Wrongdoing only becomes visible when the political climate shifts… Other housing societies operate the same way. But the noose is tightening only around him.”

Sources speculate that the property tycoon was pressured to testify in a sensitive case and refused—triggering his legal and financial woes.

This isn’t Amir’s first brush with censorship. Years ago, The News refused to publish a column about Malik Riaz. Before that, Dawn let him go in 2007 after he filed nomination papers to contest elections. Despite his hopes of returning, Amir's journalism was never welcomed back in the same way.

From Dawn to The News to Daily Dunya, Ayaz Amir’s journey underscores one thing: truth has few friends in Pakistan’s media corridors—especially when it targets the powerful.