Mohsin Dawar faces backlash for defending pro-Israel journalist Yalda Hakim

National Democratic Movement leader Mohsin Dawar faced backlash for defending pro-Israel journalist Yalda Hakim, who was widely criticised online after Iranian academic Dr Mohammad Marandi confronted her over her visibly biased stance during coverage of the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict.

Ignoring her pro-Israel leanings and journalistic bias, Dawar focused instead on the online trolling she faced, claiming it was due to her Afghan identity.

However, several Pakistani journalists and activists pushed back, clarifying that the criticism was not rooted in her ethnicity but in her partial reporting and prejudice, which Dr Marandi highlighted in their exchange.

In her interview with Marandi, Yalda attempted to justify Israeli attacks and painted Iran as the aggressor by suggesting that the US had given a 60-day deadline to Tehran to finalise a nuclear deal, and Israel attacked on the 61st day, saying that this raises questions about Iranian intelligence and its government's competence.

Yalda Hakim previously faced criticism for her biased treatment of Pakistani guests on her show, especially during heightened tensions between India and Pakistan. It later surfaced that she was closely associated with a senior BJP leader, raising further concerns about her journalistic impartiality.

Those slandering @SkyYaldaHakim are the same voices that parroted state-fed scripts and fell silent as injustice ran rampant. Classic display of Pakistani elite's deep rooted bias against Afghans. They can't even stomach an Afghan woman's presence on an international platform.

— Mohsin Dawar (@mjdawar) June 15, 2025

She was being criticized for her conduct, not her ethnicity or national origin.

But with this reaction and line of reasoning, you’ve only made Afghan nationalism look suspect.

Tell me, what exactly have Afghan nationalists done to earn the “exceptionalism” you demand?

— Sir Dig A Lot (@SirDigALot) June 15, 2025

Your desperation to get her to notice you had resulted in you losing whatever support you had with centrists in Pakistan. People hate her because she shills for genocide. There’s nothing else

— Habibullah Khan (@Huk06) June 15, 2025

Yara Mohsin, I critique @SkyYaldaHakim because of her pathetic, du number journalism. It has nothing to do with her being Afghan. My heroes have been Najibullah, and Ahmed Shah Masood.
And please no state feeds me any scripts. You like her journalism, good for you. https://t.co/Fbt5BCHjON

— Mariana Baabar (@MarianaBaabar) June 15, 2025

Mohsin the criticism of Yalda has nothing to do with her ethnicity but her conduct as a journalist on a major British media platform. During India-Pak standoff and now with Israeli attacks on Iran & its civilians, she appears to be biased in favor of the aggressors. Simple. https://t.co/xAtzddC359

— Raza Ahmad Rumi (@Razarumi) June 15, 2025

Why is it always about ethnicity? Yalda Hakim’s bias is obvious but sure, let’s turn it into a race issue. I’ve honestly started believing the boomers when they talk about Mohsin Dawar and Malala type folks. Turns out, they were right to call them out all along. https://t.co/nx4bY4iSk2

— Amna Cheema (@amnacheema55) June 15, 2025

If parroting State-fed scripts is bad then how parroting Israeli narrative is good? grow up Mohsin https://t.co/leGyR6TmLz

— Mubashir Zaidi (@xadeejourno) June 15, 2025

This looks like an IDF tweet where they show women pilots and army officers to seem progressive. Yalda Hakim was parroting Z!0nist talking points. We have seen her biased takes last month too. Her being a woman or an Afghan isn't the argument here. Her being a mouthpiece is https://t.co/9otDxG809k

— Syed Zain Raza (@MrZainRaza) June 15, 2025

Pashtun nationalists could have served as a bridge between the two countries. Unfortunately, all they did was parrot the Afghan state's narratives, justify everything Afghanistan did, and propagate anti-Pakistan sentiment. It has ultimately harmed Afghanistan more than Pakistan.… https://t.co/VXTh6b30Ph

— Zaigham Khan (@zaighamkhan) June 15, 2025

Hey identity politics don’t really work when you’re shilling for Zionist ideology and anti-Muslim hatred. I don’t care about your personal oppression punch card when you’re stomping on the necks of Palestinians or murdered children.

— Sabah Bano Malik (@sabahbanomalik) June 15, 2025

No mouthpiece for genocide, a representative of the most repulsive Zionist channel, a friend of Hindutva extremists, gets a pass just because she's Afghan.

She has no sympathy for the women of Palestine, Syria, Lebanon or Iran.
She gets no sympathy from us. https://t.co/bkbIWpRkUm

— Natasha (@OhTripe) June 15, 2025

Apparently thousands of people from nations across the world calling out Yalda's barefaced propaganda for genocidal Zionists waging multiple wars of aggression is evidence of 'Pakistani bias against Afghans'. What an objectively insane thing to say. https://t.co/tVL3ahTRGC

— Ammar Rashid (@AmmarRashidT) June 15, 2025