The media mogul and owner of Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman off-aired Hamid Mir, the famous anchorperson of Geo News flagship program Capital Talk, following his comments against the military establishment at a rally to express solidarity with journalist Asad Toor on Saturday.
The channel’s owner Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman forced out the veteran journalist from one of the most popular talk-shows in Pakistan without rendering a reason.
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The media group did not issue any sort of clarification to suspend the senior media worker.
Well-placed sources told News360 that Jang Group owner Mir Shakil had a conversation over telephone with Hamid Mir after his Saturday speech.
He had expressed extreme displeasure on the veteran journalist and scolded him that his actions had mired the organization in trouble multiple times.
Hamid Mir took to his Twitter and said that he had come across such situations in the past as well.
Nothing new for me.I was banned twice in the past.Lost jobs twice.Survived assassination attempts but cannot stop raising voice for the rights given in the constitution.This time I m ready for any consequences and ready to go at any extent because they are threatening my family. https://t.co/82y1WdrP5S
— Hamid Mir (@HamidMirPAK) May 31, 2021
The journalist’s remarks had garnered criticism and Pakistani Twitteratis started a trend against him on Saturday that lasted for three days.
The community condemned the anchorperson’s unexpected sacking and asked the media organization to elucidate the factors that ended up in the off-airing of the prime time talk show.
The social media users wrote on different platforms that the anchorpersons must take permission from their owners before giving such critical comments.
They also questioned the plight of the journalists in Pakistan and the apathy of the media owners.
The social media users questioned what would become of the juniors in the field when a journalist as senior as Hamid Mir was shown the door in no time by the channel’s owner.
Hamid Mir’s program Capital Talk on-aired in 2002 on Geo News and rapidly gained popularity.
The anchorperson had left the channel in 2018 for a brief period but the show kept airing with a different host in the seat.