Pakistani television has long relied on a small group of investigative journalists and current-affairs anchors to break news, hold power to account, and — increasingly — become news stories themselves. In 2026, that group looks different than it did even two years ago: one of the country’s most recognizable investigative hosts left broadcasting entirely to launch a political party, several senior anchors are fighting active legal and harassment battles, and a new generation continues to build audiences on YouTube alongside traditional TV. This roundup profiles ten of the most searched-for and currently relevant figures in Pakistani investigative journalism and news anchoring, with what each is known for and where things stand as of mid-2026.
1. Iqrar Ul Hassan
For 21 years, Iqrar Ul Hassan was the face of ARY News’ Sar-e-Aam, a program built around undercover sting operations exposing food adulteration, fraudulent faith healers, and institutional corruption. That changed on April 15, 2026, when he resigned from ARY News to focus full-time on Pakistan Awaam Raaj Tehreek (PART), a political movement he launched in January 2026 at a Lahore Press Club press conference, pledging never to hold party or government office himself. His departure ended one of the longest-running anchor-show pairings in Pakistani television and made him one of the year’s most-discussed media-to-politics transitions. He remains a frequent subject of entertainment coverage as well, most recently over a public exchange with actress Fazila Qazi regarding his political commentary and personal life.
Read the full profile: Iqrar Ul Hassan Biography — already published on this site.
2. Gharida Farooqi
Gharida Farooqi has spent more than two decades across nearly every major Pakistani news network — PTV, Dunya, Geo, Samaa, Express News, and now GTV — building a reputation as one of the country’s most direct political interviewers. She currently hosts the prime-time talk show G for Gharida on GTV News and was awarded the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan’s Medal of Excellence, in 2024 for her journalism. In April 2026, while covering the US-Iran diplomatic talks in Islamabad, she became the target of a coordinated online harassment campaign over her clothing — an episode that drew both a wave of trolling and public pushback defending her, and ultimately led her to file a formal complaint with Pakistan’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency, resulting in arrests.
Read the full profile: Gharida Farooqi Biography — already published on this site.
3. Matiullah Jan
Matiullah Jan is one of Pakistan’s most prominent investigative journalists and a long-standing critic of overreach by state institutions, a stance that has repeatedly put him at the center of press-freedom controversies — including a 2020 abduction and a 12-hour detention. Since late 2024, he has faced a narcotics and terrorism case that press-freedom organizations and dozens of senior journalists have publicly described as fabricated to silence his reporting on police conduct during a November 2024 PTI protest. As of 2026, the case remains active: a forensic report submitted to the Islamabad High Court found no prohibited substance in the material police alleged was recovered from him, and Pakistan’s Supreme Court has since intervened to halt his indictment pending further review. Jan currently runs his own YouTube channel alongside continued print and broadcast commentary.
4. Asma Shirazi
Asma Shirazi is a senior anchor at Aaj News, known for political reporting and sustained advocacy for journalist safety, particularly for women in Pakistani media. She won a notable 2023 Islamabad High Court ruling against ARY News and PEMRA after the channel used her image alongside an unrelated news report, a case she has described as a landmark decision for journalists facing media-driven harassment. She has continued to speak out publicly against coordinated online harassment campaigns targeting female journalists, joining a Digital Rights Foundation petition signed by more than 60 media figures calling for political parties to formally disavow such campaigns.
5. Hamid Mir
Hamid Mir is among the most internationally recognizable Pakistani journalists, hosting Capital Talk on Geo News since 2002 and writing columns for both national and international outlets, including The Washington Post’s Global Opinions section since 2021. Coming from a journalistic family in Lahore, Mir has interviewed major world figures over his career and has been outspoken on press freedom and institutional accountability in Pakistan, a position that has periodically drawn controversy and, at points, on-air suspensions.
6. Kamran Khan
Kamran Khan is widely credited with helping pioneer the modern investigative-anchor format on Pakistani television, reporting for decades on corruption and governance issues before international outlets including The Washington Post and The Sunday Times, in addition to his domestic broadcast career. He currently hosts Dunya Kamran Khan Kay Sath and serves as President and Editor-in-Chief of Dunya Media Group, a role that places him at the intersection of on-air journalism and media management.
7. Kashif Abbasi
Kashif Abbasi hosts Off the Record on ARY News, one of Pakistan’s longer-running political talk shows, and is known for direct interviews with senior politicians and officials. His career has included regulatory friction as well: PEMRA imposed a 60-day ban on his program in 2020 following a controversial episode. He remains a fixture of prime-time political programming and a frequent name in “top anchor” discussions in Pakistani media coverage.
8. Moeed Pirzada
Moeed Pirzada brings an unusual academic-to-broadcast path to Pakistani journalism: an MBBS from Allama Iqbal Medical College followed by international relations study at Columbia and the London School of Economics as a Chevening Scholar. He has anchored for PTV News, Dunya News, and 92 News, and founded the digital platform Global Village Space, positioning himself as a policy-focused commentator rather than a pure breaking-news anchor. He has also lectured at Harvard, Georgetown, and the National Defense University, and continues to write for major Pakistani English-language outlets.
9. Arshad Sharif (1973–2022)
Arshad Sharif remains one of the most referenced names in Pakistani investigative journalism, despite his death more than three years ago. He hosted PowerPlay on ARY News and had previously served as News Director at Aaj News and Director of News at Dunya TV, building a reputation for reporting on defence, corruption, and major political events, for which he received Pakistan’s Pride of Performance award in 2019. He was shot and killed in Kajiado, Kenya, on October 23, 2022; Kenyan police described the shooting as a case of mistaken identity, a characterization that has been publicly disputed by some Pakistani commentators and remains a subject of ongoing speculation rather than settled fact. His case continues to surface in press-freedom discussions in Pakistan, including references in international academic and legal commentary on journalist safety.
10. Sami Ibrahim
Sami Ibrahim is a senior ARY News anchorperson hosting current-affairs programming, having joined the channel in the mid-2010s after an earlier broadcast career. He is a regular presence in Pakistani political talk-show coverage, known for commentary on domestic politics alongside his anchoring duties.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who is the most famous investigative journalist in Pakistan?
Names most commonly associated with investigative journalism in Pakistan include Iqrar Ul Hassan (known for Sar-e-Aam), Matiullah Jan, and the late Arshad Sharif, though “most famous” varies significantly by audience and era.
2. Why did Iqrar Ul Hassan leave ARY News?
He resigned in April 2026 after 21 years to focus full-time on his political movement, Pakistan Awaam Raaj Tehreek, saying he could not continue journalism while actively building the party.
3. Who are the top female news anchors in Pakistan?
Gharida Farooqi and Asma Shirazi are among the most prominent current female political anchors in Pakistan, both known for high-profile interviews and, at various points, for publicly challenging online harassment campaigns against them.
4. What happened to journalist Arshad Sharif?
Arshad Sharif, former host of ARY News’ PowerPlay, was shot and killed in Kenya in October 2022. Kenyan authorities attributed it to mistaken identity, though the circumstances remain debated in Pakistani media.
5. Is Matiullah Jan still facing legal charges in 2026?
As of 2026, Matiullah Jan’s narcotics and terrorism case remains in active litigation, with Pakistan’s Supreme Court intervening to pause his indictment pending review; press-freedom groups have called the charges fabricated.
6. Which Pakistani news anchors host prime-time political talk shows?
Prime-time political talk-show hosts in Pakistan include Hamid Mir (Capital Talk), Kashif Abbasi (Off the Record), Kamran Khan (Dunya Kamran Khan Kay Sath), and Gharida Farooqi (G for Gharida).
