The Pakistan Daily: A New Entrant in Pakistan's media industry

Since its inception in October 2020, The Pakistan Daily has taken Pakistan’s digital media landscape by storm, becoming one of the most widely read newspapers in the country.

DIPLOMATICNEWSPK.BLOG held an exclusive conversation with The Pakistan Daily’s founder and editor, Hamza Azhar Salam to learn more about the platform.

DIPLOMATICNEWSPK.BLOG: Take us to the beginning of The Pakistan Daily. How did it start? 

Hamza Azhar Salam: I was already working as a reporter for Pakistan’s largest media network, Geo News/The News International in London when I had the idea to create my own news platform.

The spirit behind this idea was the fact that mainstream Pakistani news outlets weren’t focusing much on their digital presence whilst investing more efforts and capital into their television broadcasts.

This was in contrast to the content consumption habits of the 18-35 age bracket which was consuming more and more news via digital platforms and social media. I felt this was a perfect opportunity to cater to this ever-expanding market.

DIPLOMATICNEWSPK.BLOG: How difficult was it to get funding for The Pakistan Daily?

Hamza Azhar Salam: It was extremely difficult since not many investors wanted to invest in a news outlet run by a 27-year-old. I had self-funded The Pakistan Daily initially but when costs started piling up, I realised that I couldn’t proceed alone. Most of my family and friends were sceptical too.

However, the founder of RemoteBase, Mr Qasim Asad Salam believed in The Pakistan Daily from Day 1 and bought 6% equity in the company against an investment. Mr Qasim Asad Salam’s investment enabled us to grow our platform significantly.

Now, investors regularly offer investments in the company however, our team has decided to carefully curate whoever we choose to work with.

DIPLOMATICNEWSPK.BLOG: Was it difficult to build a team given that you were and still are, a relatively young journalist? Were your credentials as a media owner questioned in the early days of The Pakistan Daily?

Hamza Azhar Salam: Initially it was tough building a team since I was based in London and was remotely working with correspondents in Pakistan.

However, I took the plunge and went back to Pakistan to properly build my team. My first big hire was Raja Furqan Ahmed, an extremely talented reporter who joined us as a junior correspondent but rose to the rank of News Editor in the organisation due to his extraordinary flair for Pakistan’s news market.

In our early days, many people didn’t take me seriously and didn’t believe that The Pakistan Daily could establish itself as a major player given the fact that I was young and relatively inexperienced.

Even though I had worked for various news outlets and written stories for outlets like the BBC and Haaretz, running a news organisation was a different ball game and I had to learn on the go. Fortunately for me, I was blessed with sincere mentors and a journalistic network that also supported me.

Another major hire was Asif Jutt, a senior photographer who is now The Pakistan Daily’s Bureau Chief in Lahore.

After Jutt became part of our team, other senior journalists followed including Qamar Zaman Bhatti who is the President of the Union of Journalists.

DIPLOMATICNEWSPK.BLOG: The Pakistan Daily broke the news of the new DG ISI’s appointment including his name. How did you ensure that you got the news before any other outlet in Pakistan?

Hamza Azhar Salam: I can’t get into the details without compromising my sources but I can admit that I’ve been lucky in cultivating relationships in diverse quarters.

I’m also grateful to one of my sources, who went on the record for The Pakistan Daily, Mir Mohammad Ali Khan who publically confirmed my story.

DIPLOMATICNEWSPK.BLOG: What’s the best interview you’ve done for The Pakistan Daily?

Hamza Azhar Salam: There’s so many to count! I loved interviewing Sardar Masood Khan who was the President of Azad Jammu & Kashmir at the time in Muzaffarabad.

Senator Mushahid Hussain has also been very kind in speaking to us. Speaking to him about the Asian Century at his Islamabad home on a sunny afternoon was an intellectually exhilarating experience! We have also interviewed Mohtarma Reham Khan multiple times who provides a very frank and candid analysis of Pakistan’s contemporary affairs.

Hussain Nawaz Sharif was also a thrill to interview since not many journalists have had access to him.

However, if I had to choose one, it would be interviewing Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi on the sidelines of the recent Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Council of Foreign Ministers in December 2021.

Very few Pakistani journalists have spoken to Muttaqi on camera and I consider myself very lucky for this opportunity.

DIPLOMATICNEWSPK.BLOG: Tell us about the threats you and your team have faced in the course of your work. 

Hamza Azhar Salam: We’ve been hounded by FIA Cyber Crime for a story on a private business. I was also issued significant threats to my person and we were sued for over 500 million rupees! Later on, we settled the matter using our lawyers.

A team member of ours has also been physically assaulted after meeting a source.

Unfortunately, this is the reality for many journalists in Pakistan but this is a risk we have to take. If we want to do something meaningful, we should be prepared for the costs that come with it.

DIPLOMATICNEWSPK.BLOG: Your critics suggest that The Pakistan Daily’s growth is in many ways, facilitated by Pakistan’s security establishment. Is there any truth to this?

Hamza Azhar Salam: I can’t deny that at critical moments, Pakistan’s state institutions have supported The Pakistan Daily but it doesn’t mean that our reporting has been compromised in any way.

In fact, many people consider us ‘anti establishment’ and some of our work is considered contrary to the interests of security institutions but we still publish it if we feel that there is a significant public interest to justify publication.

We must also understand that as news outlets, we have to interact with various forces. Sometimes they like our work, sometimes they threaten us.

What we try to do is maintain the right balance and always ensure that our reporting is substantiated with facts. The truth is a journalist’s best friend.

DIPLOMATICNEWSPK.BLOG: Would you like to give any advice to young journalists, particularly in Pakistan?

Hamza Azhar Salam: One can do a hundred insignificant stories which don’t make much of a difference or one really big story which shakes the power corridors.

Also, relationships are everything for a journalist. Agreeing with someone and trusting them are completely different things.

Many people who have fundamental disagreements with me still talk to me and give me inside scoops because they trust me and know that I will protect their identity and do justice to the story!

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