The Mittal Institute’s Annual Cambridge Symposium: Media, Climate Arts on April 18 will examine the rapidly shifting media landscape in South Asia, with a focus on the role of journalism in civil society, democracy, and public discourse. Among this year’s featured speakers is Najam Sethi —a veteran Pakistani journalist, publisher, and the founder of The Friday Times and Vanguard Books.
We spoke with Sethi about his four decades in journalism, the challenges of press freedom in Pakistan, and how he views the responsibilities—and risks—facing today’s media professionals.
Najam Sethi
Mittal Institute: Thank you, Najam, for speaking with us ahead of the Symposium. You have been in the journalism industry for roughly four decades – can you share what drew you to the field?
Najam Sethi: I was a publisher of books. The military government of General Zia ul Haq imprisoned me in 1984 for publishing a couple of books critical of government policies. I expected the media to highlight my plight, but it was too scared to do so. In prison I vowed to become a journalist who would stand up for civil and democratic rights. Six months after General Zia perished in 1988, my wife, Jugnu Mohsin, and I launched The Friday Times which has been described by Newsweek Magazine as a “crusading paper”!
“In prison I vowed to become a journalist who would stand up for civil and democractic rights.”
Mittal Institute: You’ve spent decades challenging power structures through journalism. In your view, how has the role of independent media in Pakistan’s democratic journey changed since the 1980s? Are we moving forward—or backward?
Najam Sethi: It has been a rollercoaster ride. It was relatively free during the democratic regimes in the 1990s, and was even so during the hybrid regime of General Musharraf (1999-2008) and under civilian regimes until 2018. But the crackdown came during the hybrid regime of Imran Khan (2018-2022) and has worsened in the current hybrid regime of Shehbaz Sharif, mainly because of the military’s intolerant “hard state” policies.
Mittal Institute: In your opinion, is there still room for truly independent journalism? If so, where is it happening, and how can it be protected or expanded?
Najam Sethi: There is very little scope for independent journalism these days. The new laws embolden the authorities to pick up anyone, any time, and keep them locked up for months.
Mittal Institute: You’ve worked across print, television, and now digital media. How do you assess the influence of new media platforms on shaping public opinion in Pakistan?
Najam Sethi: The media landscape is now highly and openly party-partisan. Despite government attempts to clamp down on social media, it is now the main source shaping anti-establishment public opinion.
Mittal Institute: You’ve endured everything from arrest to death threats due to your work. What advice would you offer young journalists in South Asia who are navigating similar pressures in increasingly hostile environments?
Najam Sethi: There’s no choice but to learn to pick and choose resistance and survive like a guerilla.
“There’s no choice but to learn to pick and choose resistance and survive like a guerilla.”
Mittal Institute: When you look back at your career, what assignment or accomplishment are you most proud of?
Najam Sethi: I’ve received three international media awards. I’ve been honored with the HILAL i Pakistan, the highest civil award of the country for fighting for democratic and constitutional rights. I was nominated as the neutral and independent Chief Minister of Punjab province by all the political parties to hold free elections in 2013. And I was the Chairman/CEO of the Pakistan Cricket Board, who launched the Pakistan Super League and brought international cricket back to Pakistan in 2017 after its boycott in 2009 following a terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore.
Mittal Institute: What excites you most about the future of journalism? And what role do you hope to play in it in the coming years?
Najam Sethi: The future of independent journalism is murky. Repression is at its peak. We must learn to pick our battles. Unfortunately, independent media watchdogs in the West that watched over our trials and tribulations are also facing pressures following from the Alt-Right swing in public opinion.
☆ The views represented herein are those of the interview subjects and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Mittal Institute, its staff, or its Steering Committee.
