Outlet profile

Pakistan Today

Pakistani centrist-liberal

Owned byNawa Media Corporation, founded by the late journalist Arif Nizami (1948–2021); continues under that corporate entity after his death

FundingPrimarily advertising-funded (print and digital), supplemented by government and private sector advertising — a funding dynamic common across Pakistani media that creates indirect editorial pressure

On the administrationmostly neutral

Background

Pakistan Today was founded in 2010 by veteran Pakistani journalist Arif Nizami, who launched it after departing the Nawa-i-Waqt Group — the family media empire run by his uncle, the late Majid Nizami — following a personal dispute. Nizami established Nawa Media Corporation in 2008 to house the venture. The paper launched in the Berliner format, making it the first Pakistani newspaper printed in that compact European style, and quickly built a reputation as a credible English-language voice in a market dominated by older titles. It publishes from three cities — Lahore, Islamabad, and Karachi — and has expanded its portfolio with 'Profit,' a dedicated business and economics publication. Arif Nizami died in Lahore on July 21, 2021, at age 72; he was posthumously awarded Pakistan's Hilal-i-Imtiaz civilian honor in March 2023. The paper has continued under Nawa Media Corporation since his death. Like most Pakistani outlets, it operates in a media environment where press freedom has deteriorated sharply — Pakistan ranked 158th on the 2025 World Press Freedom Index — with government advertising leverage and self-censorship pressures affecting editorial independence across the industry. Pakistan Today has positioned itself editorially as liberal and moderate, covering national politics, business, and international affairs, though it, like peers, is subject to the structural pressures of Pakistan's tightly monitored media space.

Sources

Profile compiled 2026-07-22; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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