PTI announces boycott of select TV anchors and talk shows

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published 1 hour ago |  JP Staff Report

Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf has announced a boycott of several prominent TV anchors and talk shows, instructing party leaders and spokespersons to avoid participating in the programs.

Summary

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf on Thursday announced a boycott of several prominent television anchors and their current affairs talk shows, escalating tensions between the opposition party and sections of Pakistan’s broadcast media.

In a circular issued by the party’s Central Media Department, PTI said its Core Committee had unanimously decided to stop engaging with the listed programs and directed all party spokespersons and leaders not to appear on them.

Programs and anchors named in the circular include Kamran Shahid’s On the Front on Dunya News, Adil Shahzeb’s Live with Adil Shahzeb on DawnNews, Munib Farooq’s Mera Sawal on Samaa News, Shahzeb Khanzada’s Live with Shahzeb Khanzada on Geo News, and Salim Safi’s Jirga, also aired on Geo News.

The party did not publicly elaborate on specific reasons for selecting the anchors or shows, but the move reflects PTI’s broader criticism of what it describes as biased television coverage and limited space for its perspective on mainstream news channels.

Additional name added through X post

Separately, PTI lawyer Naeem Haider Panjutha added another name to the boycott list in a post on X, calling on party leaders to also avoid appearing on the talk show hosted by Gharidah Farooqi.

The social media post was not part of the official circular but was shared widely by PTI-affiliated accounts, signaling internal alignment with the expanded call for disengagement from certain television platforms.

The boycott announcement underscores ongoing strains between political parties and broadcast media in Pakistan, where talk shows remain a central forum for political debate, messaging, and public accountability.

KEY POINTS:

• PTI announced a boycott of specific TV anchors and talk shows
• The decision was made unanimously by the party’s Core Committee
• Party leaders and spokespersons were instructed not to appear on the listed programs
• A PTI lawyer later added another anchor’s show via a post on X
• The party did not publicly detail reasons for the boycott

PHOTO: AI-generated; for illustrative purposes only