A prominent Pakistani journalist, Murtaza Ali Shah, associated with Geo News, faces serious allegations of harassment and threats in London, escalating tensions within the Pakistani media community in the UK. The accusations, leveled by fellow journalist Asad Ali Malik, have prompted a London Metropolitan Police investigation, following a series of earlier conflicts involving Malik and female journalists. These incidents highlight a troubling pattern of disputes among Pakistani media professionals abroad, raising questions about professional conduct and underlying political motivations.
Murtaza Ali Shah Faces Grave Allegations
In a case that gained traction in June 2025, Asad Ali Malik, bureau chief of City 44 UK, accused Murtaza Ali Shah of orchestrating a series of serious offenses. Malik claimed that in May 2025, his car was vandalized, an act he attributed to Shah. He further alleged that his family faced harassment at their home, again pointing to Shah’s involvement. Most alarmingly, Malik reported that Shah threatened an acid attack while passing by outside former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s London residence, a frequent gathering spot for journalists. Malik recounted, “Murtaza Ali Shah passed by and said, ‘I will throw acid on you,’” describing it as a grave crime under UK law, where acid attack threats carry severe penalties. Supported by Farid Qureshi of ARY News, Malik reported these allegations to the London police, who are actively investigating. No arrests have been made as of June 6, 2025.
Murtaza Ali Shah, known for his credible reporting and significant international following, has not publicly responded to these accusations. Attempts to contact him were unsuccessful, with Shah citing travel and meetings as reasons for his unavailability. The lack of a response has fueled speculation, with some suggesting the allegations may stem from professional rivalries or political affiliations, possibly linked to Pakistan’s polarized media landscape, including tensions between supporters of PTI and PML-N. Without Shah’s account or official police findings, the claims remain unverified, and skepticism is warranted given the potential for personal or political agendas to drive such accusations.
Earlier Incident: Harassment Allegations Against Asad Ali Malik
The allegations against Shah follow earlier conflicts involving Malik himself. On May 3, 2025, during a press conference hosted by Salman Akram Raja, Secretary General of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), at a London café, Safina Khan, a UK-based journalist with NEO News, and Malik engaged in a heated verbal exchange captured in a viral video. Both parties hurled abusive language, including insults targeting each other’s families. Khan claimed she was “cornered” and harassed by Malik and journalists from ARY News and Hum News, alleging they threatened to kill her. She further accused Farid Qureshi of sharing an edited video from a fake account to discredit her. Malik, supported by journalists Rafique Mughal (Hum TV) and Saeed Niazi (Geo News), denied these claims, asserting that Khan initiated the verbal abuse without provocation.
Tensions escalated on June 4, 2025, when Khan accused Malik of stalking and threatening her and her colleague, Zara Khan, on Ilford Lane in London. In posts on X, Khan alleged that Malik invoked Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to intimidate them with threats of kidnapping their families and warned of an acid attack. Khan stated, “Police stopped him, and he was arrested on June 3 night,” adding,
