The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) awarded Pakistani newspaper Dawn's Zaffar Abbas the 2019 Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award for "extraordinary and sustained achievement in the cause of press freedom".

Formerly known as the Burton Benjami Memorial Award, it was renamed in 2017 to honour a veteran journalist and former board member who died in 2016. The award is presented annually to an individual who has shown extraordinary and sustained achievement in the cause of press freedom says the CPJ website.

Alan Rusbridger, former editor-in-chief of The Guardian was awarded in 2012, The Associated Press's Kathy Gannon who was the recipient in 2015, and CNN's Christiane Amanpour received it in 2016.

CPJ said that at a time when journalists and media in Pakistan were facing extraordinary pressure, Abbas continued to be a vocal supporter of steps taken to keep journalists safe.