Mazhar Abbas Receives Missouri Honor Medal

By Sara Elghobashy

September 1, 2009

Mazhar Abbas, a veteran Pakistani journalist, has received the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism. Abbas, a long time defender of freedom of the press, will be honored along with six other recipients at Missouri University.

Abbas has been a journalist for 27 years and currently serves as the Deputy Director of ARY One World Television, the first 24-hour bilingual (Urdu and Hindi) news channel from Pakistan, and secretary-general of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists. He has written over 2,000 front page stories and has conducted some of the most exclusive interviews with controversial political figures and military leaders.

Abbas spent the length of his career defending the rights of journalists to present accurate reports despite government efforts to suppress their freedom. As a result, he has received several threats on his life. He has been on the hit list of the Mohajir Rabita Council, a political group allied with Pervez Musharraf, and was charged by police for protesting the closure of three independent news channels that reported on the anti-Musharraf demonstrations in 2007. His work awarded him the honor of the International Press Freedom Award in 2007 by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Mazhar Abbas was selected for the Missouri Honor Medal based on his lifetime achievements in journalism and serves as a great example for the thousands of journalists working in countries that suppress their voice. The Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism will be presented on October 20th, where he will teach a Master’s class prior to the award ceremony.

Congratulations Mazhar Abbas!