Iftikhar Ahmad

Iftikhar Ahmad

Iftikhar Ahmad, the second person from right
Born Agha Iftikhar Ahmad
4 November 1950
West-Pakistan
Nationality Pakistan
Occupation Broadcaster, journalist, and anchor
Years active 1974 – Present
Notable credit(s) Has headed the Election Cell for Jang Group from 1988–97
Geo News from 2002-2014
BOL News from 2014 - Present.
Title MR.
Religion Islam

Agha Iftikhar Ahmad (Urdu: اغا افتخار احمد‎; born 4 November 1950) is a Pakistani research journalist and an active political activist. Ahmad started his career in 1980, after his released and joined Jang Media Network and since then, he occupied a senior position in the Network. Ahmad is currently serving as Director of Elections, Investigations, Special Projects, and Research (EISPAR) for the Geo News Network (GNN). Iftikhar Ahmad also hosts interview show Jawab Deyh (or in English "Answerable!") on Geo TV.

Mr. Agha Iftikhar Ahmad joined BOL Network as Senior Executive Vice President and Senior Anchorperson in BOL News on 18th October 2014.[1]

Early life and education

Born in 1950, Ahmad was educated in Lahore, West-Pakistan. He attended Central Model High School. He attended Muhammedan Anglo-Oriental College (MAO) where he completed his oriental studies.

Political activity

Iftikhar Ahmad
Media Adviser to the Prime minister Secretariat
In office
22 October 1974 – 5 July 1977
President Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry
Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Succeeded by BGen Siddique Salik
Constituency Lahore-VII
Personal details
Political party Pakistan Peoples Party
Occupation Journalist
Cabinet Cabinet of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Religion Islam

Since 1967, Ahmad has been a political activist as well. He participated in the movement against military dictator Field Marshal Ayub Khan.

His political philosophy was very much in line with the socialist ideas and he was mesmerised by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. He wrote his undergraduate thesis advocating the socialist ideas and its role in modern societies. In 1973, Ahmad wrote his thesis supporting Bhutto's socialist economics policies and advocating for the need of socialism in the country. Ahmad served multiple jail terms under the martial law governments for various violations of LFO. He was sent to the Sibbi Central Jail, Shahpur Central Jail, Camp Jail Lahore and the Lahore Fort detention center. Ahmad has also served as adviser to two Chief Minister and one Governor of Punjab. His political philosophy is that the real political divide is always between the poor and the rich. He argues that Pakistan may never see a leader better than Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and a slogan better than "Roti, Kapra aur Makan".[2]

Career

Ahmad started his journalism career in 1980 and worked for various publications including Daily Aftab and Daily Pakistan. He has been working for Daily Jang since 1986. In the 1980s Ahmad introduced personal interviews of politicians; these were different in the way that for the first time politicians divulged private information as well. Ahmad through his interviews for Daily Jang set a new trend in Pakistani journalism.[3]

Ahmad is started Jang Group's Election Cell. He has run it since 1988, and has covered more than five elections and also Geo Election Cell in the General ELections of 2002, 2008 and 2013.

Ahmad has also worked closely with the Geo News Admin and fellow friend and journalist Hamid Mir on the Zarra Sochiye campaign. A campaign which aimed to start debate on issues that divide us, after the broadcast of the debate on Hudood Ordinance, the National assembly of Pakistan had to ratify the Hudood Ordinance.

Controversy: Pleading the case for Bhutto

Ahmad, through his program, Jawabdeh has questioned several key power players of the coup d'état staged by General Zia-ul-Haq and the subsequent hanging of the then elected Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (see Operation Fair Play).

In these interviews, some of these people, closely worked with General Zia-ul-Haq, spilled the beans about General Zia's real political intentions. In his programme, former Justice Naseem Hassan Shah, who was a member of the bench of Pakistan Supreme Court which upheld Bhutto's death sentence, admitted that he should have voted against the hanging and felt bad for not doing so. Justice Shah also admitted that there was not enough evidence to put Bhutto on death row. It was the political pressure by General Zia-ul-Haq that manipulated the decision. Those who voted against the decision, such as Justice Fakh-ruddin Ebrahim and Justice Dourab Framroze Patel, General Zia-ul-Haq insulted them, and forcefully retired them from their services. [4]

His Interview of Naseem Hassan Shah led to the PPP to make the decision to file for the reopening of the case of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The interview also served as the basis of a lawsuit against Justice Naseem Hassan Shah in which the claimant claimed that after Justice Naseem Hassan Shah's admission in the interview that the decision to hang "Bhutto Sahib" had been forced upon them by Zia-ul-Haq.[5]

Resignation in protest

It was reported 17 November 2008 that he resigned from Geo TV in protest over its refusal to broadcast his interview with Shahid Masood. He alleged that he was earlier pressured to censor certain portions of the said interview, which he declined.

The Geo TV administration retracted from their position and the complete interview was broadcast the following week. After the program went on air, Ahmad took back his resignation.[6]

Quotes

References

  1. ↑ "Iftikhar Ahmad joins BOL News". http://www.bolnetwork.com''.
  2. ↑ "Agha Iftikhar Ahmed Profile". http://www.pakistanherald.com/''.
  3. ↑ "Career". http://www.bolnetwork.com/''.
  4. ↑ "Career Agha Iftikhar Ahmed". http://www.pakistanherald.com/''.
  5. ↑ "Bhutto's Granddaughter Seeks Justice", Daily Times, 11 January 2010.
  6. ↑ "Geo 'Jawabdeh' host Iftikhar Ahmed resigns in protest", Daily Times, 17 November 2008.

See also

References