JournalismPakistan.com | Published January 20, 2019
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ISLAMABAD – Journalist Cyril Almeida on Sunday announced suspending writing his weekly column for Dawn.
In a tweet, he said: “Some work news: suspending writing the Sunday column for Dawn. Thank you for readership and affection over the years.”
Almeida started writing the Sunday column for the paper after Ayaz Amir was asked to stop writing when he joined Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz before the 2008 General Elections.
Almeida has been in the news for the last two years.
In October 2016, his story – Exclusive: Act against militants or face international isolation, civilians tell military – about a security meeting in the Prime Minister House caused a national furor.
The PML-N government and the military both denied the story.
Two years on his interview with Nawaz Sharif on 11 May 2018, in which the former prime minister hinted that the state of Pakistan might have facilitated cross-border militancy led to treason proceedings against Almeida. For a brief period, his name was put on the Exit Control List.
Reacting to the announcement, former Dawn Editor Abbas Nasir termed it an “awful news” but hoped to “read you in print before long. Sundays won’t be the same till you resume.”
Rights activist Marvi Sirmed hoped Almeida’s columns would be back soon. “Already waiting for you to resume. Will ask you things when we meet.”
Photo: Twitter (@cyalm)
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