Talat Hussain under fire for controversial profiling of US legislators

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published last year |  JP Staff Report

ISLAMABAD—A controversy has erupted over senior anchor Talat Hussain's social media post profiling US Congress members who supported former Prime Minister Imran Khan's release. The post has drawn criticism from international journalists and raised concerns about diplomatic sensitivities.

Hussain shared detailed profiles on X (formerly Twitter) that categorized the Congress members based on their religious beliefs, political stances, and social views, describing them as "Jewish, pro-Israel, pro-India, LGBT supporters, anti-Pakistan, and anti-Kashmir." The profiles, which appeared to originate from "security sources," included assessments of the legislators' positions on Pakistan's nuclear capability and counterterrorism efforts.

The move sparked an immediate backlash from the international journalistic community. American journalist Ray Grim called the profiling "utterly bananas," criticizing what he described as Pakistan's security services' practice of creating dossiers on Congress members critical of the current government. Grim further questioned the Biden administration's support for what he termed "a regime" opposing "civilian democracy."

Pakistani journalist Waqas, based in the US, condemned the profiling as showing unprecedented "derangement." Meanwhile, journalist Riaz ul Haq provided context by highlighting the same Congress members' role in supporting crucial Pakistani interests, including IMF plan approval and religious freedom waivers.

The controversy comes amid growing international attention to Pakistan's political situation, with over 60 members of Congress recently urging President Joe Biden to help secure the release of political prisoners, including Imran Khan. Their letter specifically requested guarantees for Khan's safety and suggested U.S. Embassy officials visit him in prison.