Matiullah Jan of Dawn News has a few weeks ago started his new program called “Apna Gareban” that looks to question many journalistic actions of his community. He has done important programs in the last few weeks including the way journalists approach the Press Information Department for advertisements, reporters at court proceedings and journalists enjoying free hajj.

This week’s episode has focused on journalists living in Islamabad including famous anchors who should be making six figure salaries from their broadcast houses, yet enjoying subsidized properties in Islamabad for as low as Rs. 6000 a month. Famous anchors and journalists covered include: Mushtaq Minhas (Bolta Pakistan on Aaj TV), Waheed Hussain (Waqt News), Javed Iqbal Baloch (Daily Jinnah), Naveed Mairaj (Frontier Post), Amir Ilyas Rana (Express), Zahid Jhangvi (Editor, NIP), Sabir Shakir (ARY TV), Sajjad Tareen (Nawai Waqt), Khizar Klasra (Rohi TV), Mazhar Tufail (Geo TV), Siddiq Anzar (Daily Islam), Gh Haider Khokhar (Ibrat), Shameer Ahmed (Iqra News), Tariq mahmood sumer (NNI), Malik Manzoor (Khabren), Zahid Mahmood Malik (Daily Amn), Wajid Rasool (ATV), Rao Khalil Ahmed (The News), Syed Mohsin Raza (Asas), Mujtaba Rizwan (Asas), Ishtiaq Bangash (Express), Rao Khalid (APP), Shuaib Bhutta (Daily Tuloo) etc.

These journalists have had properties like flats and rooms allotted for themselves in various areas of Islamabad.

Surprisingly a famous journalist named Saaleh Zaafir of Jang has not been covered. We are very certain that he has been living in a plush locality of F-7/3 in Islamabad. He got the property in the name of his wife who is a Grade 17 officer. Apparently the property is for Grade 21 and Grade 22 officers. When the Airblue plane crashed in Islamabad in July 2010, he stumbled upon his secret by writing (We thank CafePyala that poked fun at him in their story):

“I was sitting in the outer veranda of my house in the lap of the Margalla Hills on the fateful moments of Wednesday morning. It was heavily overcast and rain was pouring in, as I heard the boom of a plane flying on exceptionally low altitude parallel to seventh avenue with less speed that was heading towards the hills and I could, in less than a second, imagine that the plane was going to face some devastation because in no manner it was higher than the peaks of lush green hills.”

This is sad on part of our journalists who do not leave any stone unturned to malign the politicians. It is also a sad reflection on the overall media and press owners who do not pay their employees sufficiently to make a living and then encourage corruption and blackmailing.

BTW, one journalist Wajid Rasool stumbled that Matiullah Jan himself belongs to a military family as his father is a retired colonel of the army and he must be a rich man and belongs to the privileged class. Can we say that though this is a very good program, but then also targeting a few individuals only? Also Matiullah’s program on Free Hajj, it only focused on hajj in 2009 and 2010! See the link? Only make the sitting government criticized!!!

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

In this part, Rauf Klasra exposing the Dawn Group:

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