The Nation fires cartoonist over Imran Khan cartoon
JournalismPakistan.com | Published: 27 September 2019
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The Nation has terminated the employment of cartoonist Khalid Hussain for his artwork that offended readers and the government. The controversial cartoon depicted Imran Khan alongside Donald Trump and Narendra Modi, leading to an apology from the newspaper management.Summary
ISLAMABAD — The Nation has fired a cartoonist whose artwork mocked Prime Minister Imran Khan and was deemed offensive by readers.
According to RFE/RL Gandhara website, the newspaper management has told Khalid Hussain (pictured) his cartoons wouldn’t be published.
The controversial cartoon published on the paper’s editorial page on September 25 angered the government. It showed Khan drawing a carriage that has American President Donald Trump dangling a ‘mediation’ carrot in front of Khan, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi seated.
“I don’t know how long they will not be printing my cartoons or whether they will ever print my cartoons [again],” Gandhara quoted Hussain as saying.
The Nation apologized for publishing the artwork on September 26. “We would like to apologise deeply for a cartoon that appeared on our pages. The artwork fell short of our standards and does not reflect our editorial policy. It should never have appeared.”
KEY POINTS:
- Khalid Hussain fired for mocking Imran Khan
- The cartoon depicted a controversial interaction with Trump and Modi
- The Nation issued an official apology
- The artwork was published on September 25
- The incident highlights tensions in Pakistani media
