Why was this DawnNews TV journalist targeted in a foiled murder plot?

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 31 October 2025

A foiled murder attempt against journalist Tahir Naseer involved three suspects arrested by police. They were allegedly paid to assassinate him following his reporting on a private company.

Summary

ISLAMABAD — An attempt to kill DawnNewsTV journalist Tahir Naseer was thwarted after police arrested three suspects allegedly hired to carry out the attack, the investigating officer confirmed on Thursday. Dawn.com reported the story.

Sub-Inspector Nabeel Haider said the suspects had been paid Rs200,000 to kill Naseer, who is based in Rawalpindi. “They surveilled Naseer’s residence for three days,” the officer said, adding that Rs99,000 had already been transferred to their bank account and one suspect had purchased a weapon for the planned attack.

Police intercepted the group near Naseer’s home, seizing their car and weapons. “They were presented before a district magistrate, who rejected police requests for physical remand and sent them to jail on judicial remand,” Haider stated.

In a first information report (FIR) filed under Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Pakistan Penal Code, Naseer recounted that his cousin had alerted him to three suspicious men asking about him at a local bakery. “When I arrived, I saw a white car with three men. My cousin said they had shown my picture and introduced themselves as Ahmed, Akash, and Vishal,” he said in the complaint.

Naseer told police he believed the attack was linked to his earlier vlog and DawnNewsTV report about a private company. “I had filed a case against the company owners under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act and the PPC,” he said. “Since then, they have been threatening me on WhatsApp using international numbers.”

Photo: Representational and AI-generated.