Dawn (newspaper)

History

Dawn began as a weekly publication, based in New Delhi. Under the instruction of Jinnah, it became the official organ of the All India Muslim League in Delhi, and the sole voice of the Muslims League in the English language, reflecting and espousing the cause of Pakistan's creation. Jinnah summed up the paper's purpose in these words:

Dawn became a daily newspaper in October 1944 under the leadership of its editor, Pothan Joseph, who later resigned in 1944 to take up the position of the government's principal information officer in part because of differences with Jinnah over the Pakistan Movement. He was succeeded by Altaf Husain who galvanized the Muslims of India for independence by his editorials, which earned him the ire of the Congress Party and of Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy and Governor-General of the British Raj both of whom wanted a united India.

In 1947, due to the Partition of India, senior Dawn staff led by Altaf Husain moved to Karachi, which led to that city becoming the head office of the newspaper.

In 1950, for a brief period, the owners discontinued Dawn over ownership issues and restarted it as Herald.

On 12 November 2025, Dawn mistakenly printed a business report that still contained a ChatGPT prompt, violating the paper's own AI-use policy, and later retracted the text with a public apology.

Features

Dawn regularly carries syndicated articles from western newspapers such as The Independent, The Guardian, the Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post.

On Sundays, the weekend advertiser carries three sections namely "Ad Buzz", "Career", and "Real Estate".

Publication of the US diplomatic cables

On 19 May 2011, Dawn Media Group signed a memorandum of understanding with Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, for the exclusive first use in Pakistan of all the secret US diplomatic cables related to political and other developments in the country.

An announcement printed in the newspaper and posted on the website read:

Resignation of Pervaiz Rashid

In 2016, a story, "Act against militants or face international isolation, civilians tell military" by Cyril Almeida, assistant editor and columnist for Dawn, triggered the resignation of Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid, after a preliminary investigation established a "lapse" on his part vis-à-vis the publication of the "planted" story.

Editorial stance

''Dawn'''s editorial stance has varied according to its editors and the political context. Altaf Husain, the second editor, was known for confrontational editorials that challenged government policies and supported the Pakistan Muslim League. His foreign policy view favored a US military alliance before shifting to support ties with China.

Following Husain, a succession of editors implemented different policies. Jamil Ansari aligned with the Ayub Khan administration, while Yusuf Haroon adopted a conservative approach to maintain independence. Altaf Gauhar, who had previously been involved in creating press laws, transitioned to advocating for free speech. His successor, Mazhar Ali Khan, introduced a progressive stance focused on professional journalism and reasoned critique.

Ahmad Ali Khan, the longest serving editor, stabilized the newspaper's direction. He balanced a progressive outlook with cautious navigation of the restrictive environment under Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, allowing for subtle critiques of the regime.

Later editors included Saleem Asmi, who expanded arts coverage and launched new editions, and Abbas Nasir, who adapted the newspaper to the digital age by increasing its online presence.

Editors

• Pothan Joseph (1944)
• Altaf Husain (1944–1965)
• Jamil Ansari (1965–1966)
• Yusuf Haroon (1966)
• Altaf Gauhar (1969–1973)
• Mazhar Ali Khan (1973)
• Ahmad Ali Khan (1973–2000)
• Saleem Asmi (2000–2003)
• Tahir Mirza (2003–2006)
• Abbas Nasir (2006–2010)
• Zaffar Abbas (2010–present)

References

References

1. (27 August 2017). "Dawn Delhi I: Genesis of a Newspaper". Dawn.
2. (4 July 2018). "The assault on Pakistan media ahead of vote".
3. (7 December 2019). "Following attacks on offices, Dawn editor alleges 'orchestrated campaign' against newspaper".
4. (29 November 2011). "Dawn joins Asia News Network". The Daily Star.
5. "The Haroon-Saigol Family".
6. (1976). "Plain Mr. Jinnah". Royal Book Company (on GoogleBooks website).
7. "Our International Business Representatives". Dawn Media Group.
8. "The Inside Pages: An Analysis of the Pakistani Press". [[Center for Strategic and International Studies]].
9. Aqeel-uz-zafar Khan. "Jinnah and the Muslim press". JANG Newspaper Group.
10. "Dawn | Media Ownership Monitor". Pakistan.mom-rsf.org.
11. (2 October 2017). "Editors and their policies".
12. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/new-updates/pakistans-biggest-newspaper-dawn-started-by-jinnah-publishes-ai-prompt-in-car-sales-news-report-apologises-for-ai-generated-text/articleshow/125294198.cms
13. "Advertise DAWN". DAWN.com.
14. [http://dawn.com/2011/05/20/announcement-2-2/ Announcement, Memorandum of Understanding between Dawn Media Group and Sunshine Press Productions], ''Dawn'' (newspaper), Published 19 May 2011, Retrieved 29 July 2017
15. (7 November 2016). "Govt forms inquiry committee to probe 'Dawn leaks'". The Express Tribune.
16. (17 February 2011). "Obituary: Former governor of West Pakistan no more".
17. "Altaf Gauhar passes away".
18. (14 March 2007). "Ahmad Ali Khan passes away".
19. (30 May 2007). "Tahir Mirza passes away".
20. (16 May 2006). "Dawn Editor".