Speaking truth has consequences: Inside Kashif Abbasi's absence from ARY News

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 25 February 2025 |  JP Special Report

Renowned ARY News anchor Kashif Abbasi appears unlikely to return following his controversial remarks against political figures. His removal highlights ongoing media censorship in Pakistan, reflecting pressures on journalists.

Summary

ISLAMABAD-In another case of media censorship in Pakistan, renowned ARY News anchor Kashif Abbasi seems unlikely to return to television screens after he was initially taken off air under the pretext of going on leave after making a scathing remark on January 21, 2025, in what would be his last aired episode.

"A plaque should be put up announcing the Constitution's murder. The PPP and PML-N rulers should unveil it."

According to insider sources, Abbasi had refused to accept conditions imposed on him, which included refraining from criticizing Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and her party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). Before his sudden "leave," Abbasi had been raising critical questions regarding the February 8, 2024 elections, ongoing human rights violations in the country, and the controversial 26th Constitutional Amendment.

"His searing questions did not go down well with the powers that be, who subsequently pressured the management to remove him from the air," a source familiar with the situation revealed.

This incident is not isolated but rather part of a troubling pattern of media censorship in Pakistan. The ARY management has previously yielded to pressure from what many refer to as "unknown individuals" or "the establishment" – euphemisms commonly used to describe powerful state institutions that operate behind the scenes.

In August 2022, just two months before his murder in Kenya, prominent journalist Arshad Sharif was abruptly sacked from ARY News for alleged violations of the channel's social media code of conduct. However, reports suggested that Sharif was made a scapegoat to enable the channel, which had been banned for nearly a month, to resume broadcasting.

The practice of removing outspoken journalists from the airwaves extends beyond ARY News.

In May 2021, Geo News took Pakistan's most popular anchor Hamid Mir off-air after he criticized the establishment during a protest supporting tortured journalist Asad Toor in Islamabad. This marked the second time Mir's program "Capital Talk" faced a ban, with the first occurring during President Pervez Musharraf's tenure.

More recently, in October 2024, GNN TV anchor Samina Pasha was forced to resign due to pressure from unnamed sources who were unhappy with her political analysis. Pasha stated she was given two options: change her stance or quit. She chose to leave to maintain her journalistic integrity.

Sami Ibrahim, another well-known anchor, has remained unemployed for several months. Ibrahim claims he is effectively blacklisted from working at any television channel, stating: "Wherever I tried to secure a job, the channel was warned it would face the same fate as BOL News."

Media watchdogs have consistently raised alarm about Pakistan's deteriorating press freedom environment. The country ranked 157th out of 180 countries in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders, highlighting the significant challenges journalists face.