Mazhar Abbas
Mazhar Abbas | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 6, 1958 Pakistan |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, Senior analyst |
| Years active | Nearly three decades |
| Known for | Senior analyst for Geo News, columnist for Daily Jang, deputy director at ARY News, secretary general of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists |
| Notable work | Coverage of Daniel Pearl's abduction and killing, advocacy for press freedom |
Mazhar Abbas (; born 6 July 1958) is a distinguished Pakistani journalist who currently works as a senior analyst for Geo News and contributes columns to the Daily Jang. Previously, he served as the deputy director at ARY News and held the role of secretary general for the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists. He is the sibling of Zaffar Abbas, editor of Dawn, and Azhar Abbas, who is the managing director of Geo News.
Early life
Abbas pursued his journalism education at the University of Karachi. Throughout his career, he has been dedicated to highlighting social and human rights concerns, often reporting under challenging circumstances imposed by government and military authorities.
In 2002, he provided significant coverage of the abduction and killing of Daniel Pearl, then Bureau Chief for the Wall Street Journal.
Career
For six years, Abbas held the position of Bureau Chief in Karachi for Agence France-Presse.
He has acted as deputy director at ARY News Television, where his work emphasizes analysis on Pakistan’s military and governmental leaders. Moreover, he advocates for journalists operating amidst perilous environments.
Abbas has been honored with the CPJ International Press Freedom Award in 2007 and received the Missouri Honour Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism in 2009.
With nearly three decades in journalism, Abbas has encountered various threats linked to his reporting. In early 2007, following his opposition to the shutdown of independent TV channels covering protests against President Musharraf, law enforcement authorities charged him. Later that year, in May, he and two fellow journalists discovered envelopes containing bullets attached to their vehicles.
Political views
As an active participant in the Karachi Press Club, which frequently advocates for human and civil rights, Abbas became a target of the Mohajir Rabita Council, an ethnic political faction aligned with former President Pervez Musharraf.
Personal life and family
Mazhar Abbas’s father, Mirza Abid Abbas—an educationist and former secretary of the Hyderabad Board of Education—passed away in 2002. He has four brothers: Maj. Gen. (R) Athar Abbas, Zaffar Abbas, Anwer Abbas, and Azhar Abbas.
In 2008, his brother Athar Abbas was appointed director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations, a position he held until 2012; subsequently, he served as Pakistan’s Ambassador to Ukraine from 2015 to 2018. Another brother, Azhar Abbas, took on the role of managing director at Geo News, while Zaffar Abbas serves as editor of Dawn.
Mazhar Abbas is father to two daughters.