WEBDESK - NAYADAUR
Veteran journalist Farzana Ali, one of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s most prominent women reporters, has left Aaj News after more than two decades with the television channel, according to a message she posted on X.
Ali, who has served as Aaj News’ Peshawar bureau chief, said her association with the channel lasted 20 years and one month and had now come to an end.
“Today, my 20 years and one month association with Aaj News/TV has ended,” Ali wrote in her X post. She added that she would have preferred the relationship to end in a normal manner rather than under pressure.
She also described the development as revealing something that had previously been unclear to her.
“Perhaps in one way it is good because what was unknown is no longer unknown,” she wrote.
Ali’s departure has drawn messages of support and solidarity from journalists, particularly colleagues familiar with her long career covering Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Afghanistan.
She has spent more than 27 years in journalism, beginning her professional career in 1997. Her career has included work in both print and television journalism, with her reporting focused extensively on conflict, terrorism, human rights, women’s issues and developments involving Pakistan and Afghanistan. International Federation of Journalists
Ali became the first female bureau chief of a television channel in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to profiles of her career by the Committee to Protect Journalists and other journalism organisations. She has described the challenges she faced as a woman reporting from a conflict-affected and socially conservative region. Committee to Protect Journalists
Her reporting career began in October 1997, when she entered journalism through print media. She later moved into television and was appointed bureau chief in Peshawar. MENAFN
Over the years, Ali has reported from some of Pakistan’s most difficult and dangerous areas, including Swat and the former tribal districts, covering militancy, military operations, displacement and the impact of conflict on civilians.
Her work has also included reporting from Afghanistan. In an interview with Voicepk.net, she discussed her experience covering the country during periods of intense political and security upheaval. Voicepk.net
During the war on terror, Ali hosted “Hot Frontier,” a live television program from Peshawar that focused on developments in the conflict zone. Profiles of her career have described the program as an important milestone for women journalists reporting hard news from the region. WRN
Her work has also earned awards and professional honors, and she has taken on mentoring and training roles aimed at supporting women entering journalism.
The International Federation of Journalists previously highlighted Ali’s extensive work covering human rights, militarisation, and terrorism-related issues, and documented the challenges she faced as a woman journalist in a conflict-affected region. International Federation of Journalists
Aaj News’ own website continued listing Ali as its Peshawar bureau chief as recently as September 2026, with her byline appearing on reports concerning Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including political developments and security incidents. Aaj English TV
Her departure therefore marks the end of a long association with the channel and a significant chapter in a career spanning nearly three decades.
Ali has not publicly provided detailed information about the circumstances surrounding her departure beyond her comments about the relationship ending under what she described as pressure. The channel’s position on her departure was not included in the material available for this report.