New Delhi: A group of foreign correspondents stationed in Pakistan over the anticipated Islamabad Talks 2.0 is caught in a political crossfire after attending an informal meet-and-greet at the Islamabad Press Club.
Prominent anti-establishment journalists Matiullah Jan and Asad Ali Toor decided to play with fire on Saturday when they invited several foreign correspondents, including Caitlin Doornbos from the conservative, pro-Trump newspaper New York Post, Osama Javed from Al Jazeera and Sophia Saifi from CNN, among others.
What turned the event into a full-scale political and diplomatic spectacle was the comments made by Jan and Toor at the informal event. They criticised the establishment’s policies, including Pakistan’s history of extra-judicial killings.
The two also criticised the Pakistani government and raised concerns about press freedom and alleged restrictions on journalists in the country. This did not go down well with the Pakistan Army, who ensured that Jan was sacked from his job as a presenter at Neo News the next day.
The controversy intensified after Doornbos responded on X, claiming that she felt “deceived and used,” as she had attended the event in a professional capacity to understand the local media landscape, and did not anticipate her images being associated with a political statement.
Doornbos’s claim to fame is her direct access to the US President Donald Trump, which makes her an invaluable asset for the Pakistani Army. While the Islamabad Talks 2.0 might never happen, Doornbos continues to remain in Pakistan, indulging in local culture and cuisine.
“South Asian journalists will fall head over heels for someone who is white and has access to Trump,” a Pakistani journalist speaking on the condition of anonymity told ThePrint. “Both Jan and Toor have one aim in life—to embarrass the establishment. The problem is that this doesn’t go well with the current ‘romance’ between the US and Pakistan, which are hand-in-glove at this moment.
Moreover, domestic politics came into play as well. The coalition group of journalists led by Matiullah Jan had in February ousted fellow journalist Afzal Butt as the president of the National Press Club, Islamabad, after two decades, during the organisation’s election.
Butt was among the few journalists who raised their concerns over an event involving foreign journalists turning political in nature. Moreover, according to local reports, the NPC leadership had reportedly asked him to postpone the gathering as it coincided with an official Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MOIB) cultural event at the same venue. He proceeded nonetheless.
Jan was then accused of misrepresenting the dinner as an official NPC event, misusing the club’s name and logo, and presenting a shield that allegedly featured an Indian flag, according to a report in Pakistan news portal MM News.
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‘New York Post promoted hate’
The backlash was swift. Pro-government commentators and some Press Club officials condemned the gathering, with social media hashtags #ShameonMTJ accusing Jan of harming Pakistan’s image, gaining traction online.
Toor wrote on X that Jan had been “terminated” by Neo News TV, describing him as a journalist of “unmatchable integrity” and suggesting political pressure behind his dismissal.
Jan later announced Tuesday that his association with the network had ended, without clarifying whether the decision was voluntary or forced, in a post on X. His independent YouTube channel remains active.
Reactions extended beyond journalism circles. Some commentators and rights advocates framed the backlash as part of a broader pattern of pressure on dissenting voices. The debate has since spilled into social media, where journalists, analysts and commentators have taken sharply opposing positions.
“One of the most respectable name, a journalist with unmatchable integrity @Matiullahjan919 has been terminated by Neo News. Thank you Afzal Butt group you guys are once again successfully used to stab your fellow journalist and later under pressure of your masters Mati bhai again sent home. He was jobless in #PTI tenure and today forced jobless under #PMLN,” Toor wrote on X.
“Such reaction by your organization on pressure from the government is a shame. It proves the point you had made at the press club”, Pakistani military analyst Ayesha Siddiqa added on X.
Meanwhile, Baloch journalist Kiyya Baloch agreed with Siddiqa’s statements, alleging that the New York Post promoted hate against the journalist.
“A Pakistani journalist lost his job after @CaitlinDoornbos from the @nypost promoted a wave of hate against him on X. Regardless, @Matiullahjan919, you will be remembered in golden words for your principled stance & courageous journalism. They can’t break you. All the best,” he wrote on X.
Pakistani human rights journalist Maryam Nawaz Khan said that transparency cannot be equated to treachery.
“Presenting a true picture is no way ghaddari, stop being more Pakistani and declaring others lesser Pakistani. Stop labelling people on your whim. Stop this mullah induced culture of giving invented fatwas. Stop spouting filth because of political differences”, he added.
But not everyone agreed.
“Free speech is not treason, but treason is not free speech either.
Misrepresenting your country to foreign journalists, and Blackmailing the Government in the name of freedom of expression is no less than a treason,” a former Pakistani civil servant wrote on X.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)