Media in Bangladesh, Pakistan and India face the same challenges: Dawn editor

Zaffar Abbas, editor of Pakistan’s newspaper Dawn, has said that the crises surrounding media freedom, governance and corruption are largely similar across South Asian countries. He said the media in Bangladesh, Pakistan and India are all facing the same kinds of challenges.

Zaffar Abbas made the remarks this morning, Saturday, during the second session of the ‘Bangladesh Journalism Conference 2026’ at a hotel in the capital. The two-day international conference has been organised by Media Resources Development Initiative (MRDI).

The topic of the session was “Politico-Governance Ecosystem and Free Media”. The session was moderated by Shakhawat Liton, executive editor of The Business Standard.

Zaffar Abbas said that while discussions were taking place on Bangladesh’s press freedom index, corruption perceptions index and the state of governance, he felt as though Pakistan itself was being described. He added that if there had been an Indian journalist present, they would probably have expressed the same feeling.

The former BBC journalist and Dawn editor said that in South Asian countries, political conflicts, crime centred in major cities and struggles for power receive greater attention in the media. However, issues affecting minorities, marginalised communities and neglected people often remain overlooked. He said the same trend seen in Pakistan also exists in India, Sri Lanka and other countries in the region.

Discussing these shared problems together with South Asian journalists could create opportunities for self-reflection, Zaffar Abbas said. Journalists, he added, need to rethink their own work and responsibilities.

The veteran editor said that if journalists engage in self-criticism, it would be possible to create positive pressure on both governments and society.

In his remarks, Zaffar Abbas also stressed the importance of improving the relationship between the media, society and government. He said that not only the failures of the government, but the overall condition of society, must also be taken into consideration. In this regard, the media’s responsibility is even greater.

Criticising the tendency to compare living standards and development with Western countries, the Dawn editor said the realities of South Asian nations are different. Rather than comparing themselves with countries such as Sweden and Norway, which have much smaller populations, South Asian countries should first identify their common problems and challenges.

Speaking about overcoming the crisis, Zaffar Abbas said that the industries, economies and structures of freedom in developed countries were shaped by different historical realities. Therefore, South Asian countries must find their own path towards media freedom, good governance and development based on their own realities.

Others speakers in the discussion included TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman, The Daily Star Consulting Editor Kamal Ahmed, former BBC journalist Shakeel Anwar and Samakal editor Shahed Mohammad Ali.