Awards for excellence in journalism

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published September 22, 2013

ISLAMABAD: The annual Agahi Awards for excellence in journalism were held Saturday at the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA).

Puruesh Chaudhary, Founder and President, Agahi and Amir Jahangir Chief Executive Officer, Mishal Pakistan founded these awards in 2012.

The following were the award winners: Naveen Mangi (Bloomberg) Business and Economy; Maliha Naz Rana from Herald in Health and Primary Education; Shakeel Ahmad (DawnNews) Higher Education and Training; Zahir Shah Sherazi (DawnNews) in Infrastructure; Abdur Rauf (The Express Tribune) for Institutions; Maimoona Saeed (Geo News) for  Labor Market Efficiency; Ghulam Mohiuddin (Aaj TV) for Environment; Shabina Faraz (Jang) in Climate Change; Zahid Gishkori (The Express Tribune) in Flood and Disaster Reporting;, Sehrish Wasif (The Express Tribune) in Disaster and Catastrophe; Xari Jalil (Dawn) in Governance; A.B. Arisar (Dawn) in Corruption; Asad Kharal (The Express Tribune) for Law & Order; Hanif Samoon (Dawn.com) in Health; Din Muhammad Watanpal (Daily Qudrat, Quetta) for Child Survival; Sarwar Baloch (VSH News) in Health & Nutrition; Ali Usman (The Express Tribune) for Non-Communicable Diseases; Zia ur Rehman (The Friday Times) for Polio Immunization; Aslam Chandio (Online News Agency) for Energy, Water & Food Security; Sarah Munir (The Express Tribune) on Media Ethics; Syed Ali Shah (DawnNews) for Media Safety; Ashraf Javed (The Nation) for Crime Reporting; Shahzada Irfan Ahmad (The News) for Corporate Social Responsibility, Zahir Shah Sherazi (Dawn News) in Democratic Values and Dignity; Bina Shah (Blogger) in Education; Zia ur Rehman (The Friday Times) for Extremism and Terrorism; Shahzada Irfan Ahmad (The News) in Gender; A.B. Arrisar (Dawn) in Gender - Economic Opportunity; Abdul Shakoor (APP) in Gender - Health and Survival; Zia ur Rehman (The Friday Times) in Gender - Political Empowerment; Aamir Saeed (Pique Magazine) for Human Rights; Fazal Khaliq (The Express Tribune) in Child Protection; Kiran Nazish (Dawn.com) for Child Rights; A.B. Arisar in Gender -Domestic Violence; Zia ur Rehman (The Friday Times) in Minorities & Marginalized Communities; Mehtab Haider (The News) in Political & Regularity Environment; Jawwad Rizvi (The News) in Market Environment; Faseeh Mangi (Bloomberg) in Infotainment, Mubashar Zaidi (Dawn.com) in Journalism for Peace; Muhammad Irfan Haider (Picture) (Dawn) for Conflict Reporting; Asad Kharal (The Express Tribune) in Judiciary; Zeeshan Anwar (Daily Express) in Court Reporting, Zahir Shah Sherazi (Dawn.com) in Photo Journalism; Aslam Chandio (Online News Agency) in Sports.

Geo New won the Peoples' Choice Award for the Favorite News Channel for the second year running. 

The Current Affairs Anchor of the Year Award went to emerging anchors - Iqrar ul Hassan (ARY News) and Alia Nazki (BBC Urdu), as the Emerging Current Affair Anchor of the Year in the male and female categories. Investigative Journalist of the Year award was won by Asad Kharal (The Express Tribune).

Ejaz Haider of Capital TV was awarded the Most Credible Anchor based on the Media Credibility Index developed in collaboration with more than 10 journalism schools in Pakistan.

Sindhi journalist AD Shar brutally murdered, PFUJ declares three-day mourning

 April 11, 2025:  Sindhi journalist AD Shar was brutally murdered in Khairpur, Sindh. His body was found dumped on Handiyari Link Road. PFUJ has declared a three-day mourning period and demanded justice.

AJK government registers case against newspaper and staff

 April 10, 2025:  The Azad Jammu and Kashmir government has filed a case against The Daily Jammu & Kashmir and its staff for alleged fake news, drawing condemnation from PFUJ and IFJ, who demand immediate withdrawal of the FIR and an end to media repression in Pakistan.

Journalist Arzoo Kazmi alleges FIA threats, possible arrest over reporting

 April 08, 2025:  Journalist Arzoo Kazmi alleges that Pakistan's state agencies, including the FIA, have blocked her CNIC, passport, and bank account while threatening her. She calls it a direct attack on journalism.

Noorani’s missing brothers: Court orders IG to produce individuals

 April 07, 2025:  The Islamabad High Court has directed IG Islamabad to produce journalist Ahmad Noorani’s missing brothers, as the Ministry of Defence denies custody. SIM activity was traced in Bahawalpur, and investigations into their suspected abduction continue.

Journalist Farhan Mallick granted bail

 April 07, 2025:  Journalist and Raftar founder Farhan Mallick has been granted bail by a Karachi court in a case concerning anti-state content aired on his YouTube channel. He still faces separate charges related to an alleged illegal call center and data theft.

Ghulam Abbas Shah joins Discover Pakistan as Head of Programming

 April 03, 2025:  Veteran journalist Ghulam Abbas Shah has joined Discover Pakistan Television as the Head of Programming. With 25 years of experience in leading news organizations, he looks forward to contributing to quality storytelling and content.

PFUJ condemns Pakistani journalists' visit to Israel as an ethical violation

 April 02, 2025:  The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has strongly condemned the visit of a group of Pakistani journalists to Israel, calling it a violation of journalistic ethics and a betrayal of press freedom and human rights. PFUJ demands a transparent investigation into the matter.

Can films fight terrorism? Dawn raises doubts

 March 30, 2025:  Dawn criticizes Pakistan’s plan to use TV dramas against extremism, highlighting financial and digital challenges. Can media alone solve deep-rooted issues?