‘Feel Deceived And Used’: US Reporter After Islamabad Media Event Sparks Row, Pakistani Journalist Quits

Last Updated:April 30, 2026, 14:40 IST

However, within a day of the event, Matiullah Jan announced his resignation from Neo News TV, though no official reason was cited.

An informal meet-and-greet gathering organised by a group of Pakistani journalists for foreign correspondents in Islamabad has triggered a massive row after it reportedly turned into a platform to criticise the government and the military establishment.

The event, held at the Islamabad Press Club, was initially presented as a casual meet-and-greet for foreign reporters visiting Pakistan to cover anticipated US-Iran peace talks. However, attendees said the discussion quickly took a political turn.

US journalist Caitlin Doornbos from the conservative, pro-Trump newspaper New York Post, Osama Javed from Al Jazeera and Sophia Saifi from CNN, were among the attendees.

Two prominent anti-establishment Pakistani journalists, Matiullah Jan and Asad Ali Toor, used the gathering to speak against the the military establishment’s policies.

They reportedly spoke about concerns over press freedom, alleged harassment of journalists, and policies of the Shehbaz Sharif-led government. They also raised issues such as extra-judicial actions and the broader media environment in the country.

The controversy intensified after Doornbos in a post on X, claimed that she felt “deceived and used," as she had attended the event in a professional capacity to understand the local media landscape, and did not anticipate her images being associated with a political statement.

“Did anyone ask the foreign journalists whose photos are now associated with this how they felt about it?" Doornbos said in a post on X.

“I feel deceived and used. I would have enjoyed learning more about the media landscape privately, but our images were blasted out in association with a political statement implying our solidarity in criticising a foreign government in which we are guests," she further said.

Her remarks came after group photos from the event were circulated online alongside statements that appeared to suggest the foreign journalists’ endorsement of criticism against the Pakistani government. The use of the press club’s logo further added to the perception that it was an official event.

Some reports also claimed that attendees were presented with commemorative items that added to the backlash online.

A Pakistani journalist, Maryam Nawaz Khan, later clarified that only a small portion of the event included a discussion on the “real face" of “independent journalism" in Pakistan. She also flagged how dozens of Pakistani journalists have been forcibly “picked up" by state agencies for allegedly spreading “anti-Pakistan" narratives.

However, within a day of the event, Matiullah Jan announced his resignation from Neo News TV, though no official reason was cited.

His colleague Asad Ali Toor suggested that external pressure may have played a role, while several journalists voiced support for Jan, calling him a prominent independent voice.

While some local reporters defended the event as a discussion on the realities of journalism, others said the controversy reflects deeper divisions within the country’s media landscape.

News world ‘Feel Deceived And Used’: US Reporter After Islamabad Media Event Sparks Row, Pakistani Journalist Quits

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