Free Press: Geo’s Hamid Mir wins ‘Most Resilient Journalist Award’

The Hague: Pakistan's top journalist Hamid Mir on Wednesday won Free Press Award in the “Most Resilient Journalist Award” category.

The award was handed out in a ceremony held in The Hague.   “This award is not an acknowledgement of my courage but this is a reward for whole Pakistani nation and our journalist fraternity,” he said while speaking at the ceremony.  “Perhaps we wouldn’t have been able to show as much courage if people had not backed us”.

Mir said as many as 800 journalists were killed across the world over the last 10 years. 

Hamid Mir is an acclaimed and one of the best known television  journalists who has been hosting Pakistan's most popular talkshow Capital Talk at Geo News for years. He also writes columns for Daily Jang, Pakistan's leading Urdu daily.   He was the first journalist to interview al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden after the September 11 attacks.

Mir survived an assassination attempt in Karachi,  in which he sustained multiple bullet wounds in April 2014.

Hamid Mir, however, stayed in Pakistan and continued his struggle for freedom of press in the country.

The 'Most Resilient Journalist Award' is given to a reporter or media professional who has demonstrated extraordinary courage and perseverance to bring the news. It is a prize for a journalists who, despite threats, abductions and violence continues the journalistic work.