Veteran Columnist Cyril Almeida Resigns From Dawn
Cyril Almeida will no longer be continuing his widely read and feisty columns for Dawn. He announced it on Twitter:
Some more work news, belatedly: I have resigned from Dawn and ended the Sunday column. Am deeply grateful for the readership and affection over the years. There is no plan to return to writing in the foreseeable future, a break from the media appears to be on the cards. ?
— cyril almeida (@cyalm) October 20, 2019
This comes soon after a relatively long hiatus from his column in the aftermath of the Dawn Leaks row. Regular readers had been thrilled to see that Almeida had just recently continued his commentary and analysis for Dawn. It was not to last.
Prominent voices in mainstream Pakistani media and social media have expressed sadness about the resignation. Veteran Dawn editors took the lead,, with Zaffar Abbas tweeting out:
Extremely saddened to see Cyril go. He was one of the brightest stars of Dawn, & Pak journalism, and one of the most honest & bold writers I have worked with. He’ll be greatly missed. I wish him good luck, and hope one day he will return to journalism and Dawn. https://t.co/yGhjiaDZkw
— Zaffar Abbas (@abbasz55) October 20, 2019
Asad Hashim, meanwhile, pointed out that veteran editor Abbas Nasir will replace Cyril Almeida’s column space in Dawn:
.@abbasnasir59 steps up to the Sunday column at Dawn, filling the void left by @cyalm's leaving the newspaper. Not sure what we're going to do without Cyril's insight each week, but am sure he will continue onward and upward. https://t.co/nr0VdfamBR
— Asad Hashim (@AsadHashim) October 20, 2019
While many commentators on social media simply expressed their disappointment on being unable to read Almeida’s columns any more, there have also been those who questioned whether pressure from powerful quarters may have been the reason for his resignation. MNA Mohsin Dawar’s tweet best summed up such concerns:
It is sad that voices like @cyalm are being silenced. Our media has become an echo chamber of State's narrative, and has lost its relevance. We need to claim our right to express dissent. We all lose when brilliant minds like Cyril are not allowed to work.https://t.co/yw8m0NaLT2
— Mohsin Dawar (@mjdawar) October 21, 2019
In an interesting exchange with Najam Sethi, in fact, Almeida himself lent credence to such speculation. Responding to Sethi’s invitation that he move his commentary and columns to weekly The Friday Times, Almeida responded:
My first published piece was in TFT, would be great fun to return one day… for now, am self muzzled and leashed… ??? https://t.co/agTkdzpoC7
— cyril almeida (@cyalm) October 20, 2019
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