Police have foiled an alleged assassination attempt on DawnNewsTV journalist Tahir Naseer, arresting three suspects who were reportedly hired to kill him for Rs200,000. Investigating Officer (IO) Sub-Inspector Nabeel Haider confirmed the arrests on October 30, stating that the suspects had been surveilling the journalist’s house for three days before being apprehended.
According to the IO, the suspects received Rs99,000 in advance through a bank transfer, and one of them had procured weapons to carry out the attack. “Police arrested the three suspects and seized their vehicle and weapons from near Naseer’s house,” he said. “They were produced before the district magistrate, who rejected the request for physical remand and sent the suspects to jail on judicial remand instead.”
An FIR filed at Sadiqabad Police Station under Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) states that Naseer was alerted to the plot by his cousin, who informed him that suspicious men had been asking about him at a nearby bakery. “When I arrived at the tandoor, I saw a white car with three young men,” the journalist wrote in the FIR. “My cousin told me they had been asking about me and showing my picture. While they were asking around, they said their names were Ahmed, Akash and Vishal.”
Naseer told police that the motive behind the attempted attack was linked to a vlog he had published about a private investment company. He said he had also reported on the same issue for DawnNewsTV and had since faced threats through WhatsApp messages from international numbers. “I filed a case against them under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act and the PPC,” the journalist stated.
Two years earlier, Naseer had reported an investigative report on a private investment Company alleging that the Karachi-based firm was involved in a fraudulent investment scheme promising unusually high returns. Naseer warned that the company’s offers resembled a Ponzi scheme and said his reports were intended to protect the public from financial scams.
Following the report, Naseer said he received threats and intimidation attempts from individuals linked to the company. He believes the recent assassination attempt is directly connected to his coverage of the firm’s activities.
Prominent journalist Omer Cheema expressed concern over the incident, stating that “hiring contract killers has become a disturbing trend in Punjab, often linked to overseas Pakistanis settling scores from abroad.” He called for strict government action to prevent such extrajudicial attempts and protect journalists working on sensitive investigations.
In response, Naseer thanked Cheema on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), noting that it had become increasingly difficult to speak the truth. He expressed disappointment that despite the arrests, the suspects were sent to judicial remand without police custody, citing their alleged influence. “I have evidence and CCTV footage, yet no serious action is being taken. Will the Counter Terrorism Department or the Chief Minister take notice?” he asked.
