HISTORY OF DAILY MASHRIQ
At the declination of Daily Kohistan Lahore, the largely circulated & the most popular news paper of the time due to some difference among the working staff of the daily. Many journalists broke away from it and launch a new daily with the name of Mashriq in the year 1903.The paper was founded by late Inayatullah. Who was a major share holder of “KOHISTAN” during General Ayub Khan Era? It was taken by the national press trust in 1964.It introduced some new trend of popular journalism in Pakistan & served as a torch-bearer of new journalism in Pakistan.
It was naturally the decline of daily Kohistan that enabled “MASHIRQ” to gain an immediate response from the public and with in a short span of time, its circulation gone beyond expectation secondly, the dedicated and experienced team of Kohistan worked very hard in establishing the “MASHRIQ” on sound basic.
As the daily was working under the government’s Umbrella, it Seaton got important positions and the masses started its subscription, after taken over NPT, the Govt decided to publish it form some other part of the country to safeguard the nation interest and to pay the way for the polices of the military regime. Mashriq started it publication on 15th April 1967, from one of business city Karachi, them on first august 1967, Mashriq started publishing from Peshawar and in June 1972, its started publication from Quetta. The daily was controlled by the government in all the four stations and hence it gained popularity and its circulation increased rapidly.
The paper remained with government for 31 years until Benazir Bhutto the then Prime Minister announced to abolish the NPT the government Privatized all the dailies.
The Peshawar base Mashriq was bought by AGHA SYED TAJMIR SHAH, one of the well known businessmen of the NWFP. He, himself became its first Chief Editor.
He left no stone unturned to make the daily one of the leading national daily and it’s was his open policy that enabled the daily to gain some fame in the masses. He introduced some new trends in practical journalism and all his experiences met success, as the reader encouraged him for his bold articles, worthy and authentic, new stories and smooth and locally written editorials.
Perhaps all these experiences were never made by any of the daily in the NWFP and that is why people started relying on Mashriq. It courageously published the articles and social features, which were immediately absorbed by the public. It gives wide coverage to the news of almost all the varieties.
The other NPT newspaper gradually lost their position when they were handed over to the private sector, it was only the daily Mashriq that stood affirm before all these challenges and faces cash and every kind of hardship ranging from financial to social problem.
Later on, when the chief editor and founder of the daily, AGHA TAJMIR SHAH died in 1999, his youngest successor Mr. Syed Ayaz Badshah took over the paper as Chief Editor. The newly chief editor Ayaz Badshah made some new experience and hired some of the leading journalists of the country to make daily a leading newspaper of the country.
POLICY OF DAILY MASHRIQ
Daily mashriq is the main component of the mashriq group of newspaper which includes the statement English newspaper and daily mashriq is Urdu newspaper as well.
Mushriq have the largest leadership NWFP and that as why special attention is given to it policy and every article and new story is checked with great care and attention owing to its larger leadership.
It always supported the national causes and interest of the country, whether it is national or international. Specially over the international issue like Kashmir, Afghanistan,
Palestine and other issue of Muslim ummah, the paper has rendered remarkable job. The paper has always done it best to present a true picture of a problem to the world. The paper also consist the western media war against the Islam and Muslim ummah.
No one daily mashriq to change is policy or to compromise over any issue. It always backs the story of reporter. Mashriq never published stories to damage of an individual or organization but always search to reveal the wrong doing in any field. It blame mashriq compromises over it business the reason behind it misconception for a long period of the government in the shape of national press trust (NPT).
The fact is after the privatization the news paper become more woken and torch bearer of freedom expression in over country.
Beside these, it has always discourage the sectarianism violence and backing of any single political group. It also avoided criticism for the shake of criticism and has encourage qualitative journalism.
