Category: Freedom of Expression

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2 terrorists linked with Pearl killing arrested

MANSEHRA  –   Two Pakistan Taliban terrorists have been arrested for their involvement in the kidnapping and killing of American journalist Daniel Pearl and several terror-related activities in the country, officials said on Friday.

The Counter-Terrorism Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mansehra district said they are the most dreaded terrorists of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Daniel Pearl, who was the South Asia Bureau Chief of The Wall Street Journal, was kidnapped and later beheaded by terrorists in Pakistan in 2002.

Manshera Police during an intelligence based operation arrested the two terrorists of defunct Tahrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) including Azeem Jan alias Qari Khaksar resident of Madakhail District Torghar and Muhammad Anwar son of Muhammad Ayub resident of Shaikul Bandi Abbottabad.

The CTD press release stated that Azeem Jan alias Qari Khaksar was an active member of TTP Karachi and also remained member of TTP Swat and Shangla. He was a master trainer of suicide bombing and provided trained suicide bombers to the TTP. Azeem Jan was also the chief of financial affairs of TTP Miranshah.

It was further disclosed that Azeem jan also killed Maulana Izharul Haq Jhangvi which triggered Shia-Sunni conflict in Pakistan and his companions committed the Hazaraganji bomb blast where 143 Hazara community people were killed. He was also involved in killing of SSP Chaudhary Aslam in Karachi.

CTD press release further disclosed that terrorist Azeem Jan alias Hakeem Jan was also involved in terrorist attack on French embassy staff Karachi and provided trained suicide bombers for the attack on former president Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf. He also attacked an Army convoy and camp at Miranshah where many soldiers were martyred. His group was also involved in attack on Shangla Top police post where many policemen lost their lives.

Another arrested terrorist Muhammad Anwar got one year training from Khyber district. In 2015 he was involved in attack on Daewoo terminal Peshawar where two policemen were martyred. He was also involved in targeting the Shia and Sunni leadership in district Abbottabad.

The arrested terrorists were shifted to unknown location for further interrogation.

The Nation

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PPF condemns law suit against radio talk show host

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), in a letter to George Weah, President of Liberia has expressed concern over the law suit against radio talk show host, Henry Costa.

PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali, has condemned the action taken against the journalist and Roots FM and urged the concerned authorities to immediately look into this matter and drop all charges against Costa. PPF also called on the government of Liberia to stop targeting journalists and media houses.

According to Center for Media Studies & Peace Building (CEMESP), Nathaniel McGill, Liberia’s Minister of State for Presidential Affairs and one of the closest associates of President George Weah has filed the “Action of Damages for Slander” against Costa and the entire Roots FM, trying to recover US$500,000.

The minister has also asked the Civil law court to immediately shut down the radio station.

On April 15, Minister McGill issued the Writ along with an attachment to the ministerial officer. The writ commands the Sheriff to inform Costa that he and his colleagues must file a “former appearance and/or answer” to the official of court till April 25.

In the attachment, Minister McGill’s lawyers has requested Judge Yusif D. Kaba to charge Costa and his co-defendants accountable for an amount of US$500,000 and also ordered shut down of his radio station.

Costa, a morning talk show host has always been critical of President Weah and often accused his officials of being involve in massive corruption, incompetence and bad governance.

Moreover, Costa has also alleged that government was delicately disrupting his transmission because of his critical views about President and the government.

Costa also wrote to the US Embassy in Monrovia and said, “On Friday April 12, 2019, while we were on the Costa Show at about 9:10 am, many of our listeners began to complain that they were suddenly hearing old clips from past editions, instead of our live broadcast on our frequency, Roots FM 102.7.”

 

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Define ‘reasonable curbs’, says Babar

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) Secretary General Farhatullah Babar said Thursday the freedom of expression was being increasingly curbed.

He was speaking said at a discussion — Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists — organised by the National Commission on Human Rights here at a local hotel on Thursday. Babar said the Article 19 of the Constitution guaranteed freedom of expression subject to reasonable restrictions imposed by the law in certain areas like national security and relations with foreign countries etc.

“However, no legislation has been made to define the parameters of reasonable restrictions,” he said. Giving examples, he said that a journalist in Balochistan was arrested by the FIA on the basis of a complaint of a security official alleging posting of “controversial and demoralising statements” on journalist’s face book that “created havoc in the society” and put “the lives of officers of the agencies in danger.” The official had merely quoted an unnamed ‘source report’ as the basis of allegation, Babar said. Similarly, Farhatullah Babar said, investigations were ordered against some journalists for posting pictures of journalist Jamal Khashogi during a royal visit to Pakistan.

He said that Pakistan has committed to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as its own national agenda. “It is mandatory to report yearly on cases of killing, kidnapping, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention and torture of journalists and human rights activists,” he said. He called for devising a mechanism for preparing such annual reports.

Representatives from National Commission on Human Rights, Ministries of Human Rights and Interior, Law & Justice besides FIA, Pemra, PTA, Pakistan Bar Council, Nadra and other stakeholders attended the discussion.

The News

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RSF index highlights dismal state of press freedom

LAHORE: Reporters Without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontieres or RSF) has released its world press freedom index, which shows some countries slipping from their position, while others remaining in the worst of circumstances.

Norway claimed the top spot for the third consecutive year, followed by Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands.

Pakistan too has slid down three places as, according to the report, the media suffered brazen cases of censorship, especially during the general elections. Distribution of newspapers was interrupted, media outlets were threatened with the withdrawal of advertisements, while signals of TV channels were jammed.

According to the RSF, the situation was worsened by resort to crude methods, for instance intimidation, physical violence and arrests. The report noted that the new government announced the creation of a Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority last year, a name in which “regulation” was clearly intended to mean “censorship”.

The report found that journalists working in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were at the highest risk — at least three journalists were killed in connection with their work.

However, there have been no killings of any journalist in Pakistan this year so far, according to the RSF.

Dawn

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Journalist’s bail extended by one week

KARACHI: A district court on Wednesday extended by one week an interim pre-arrest bail of journalist Shahzeb Ali Shah Jillani in a case pertaining to cyber terrorism, electronic forgery and giving defamatory remarks about institutions of the state.

The Federal Investigation Agency had booked Mr Jillani in a case registered under Sections 500 (punishment for defamation), 109 (abetment) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Sections 10(a) (cyber terrorism), 11 (hate speech) and 20 (offences against dignity of a natural person) of the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, on a complaint filed by Moulvi Iqbal Haider.

On April 11, the court had granted the journalist an interim bail before arrest against a surety bond of Rs100,000.

On Wednesday, the judge extended Mr Jillani`s interim bail till April 24 on the request of his counsel Salman Mirza and summoned the investigation officer on the next date of hearing.

Dawn

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RSF slams move to charge reporter with ‘cyber-terrorism’

KARACHI: A global media watchdog, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), on Tuesday slammed attempts to “intimidate Pakistan’s journalists” and said a reporter critical of army and intelligence services was being prosecuted for “cyber-terrorism”.

The global watchdog said Shahzeb Jillani, who worked for Dunya News and had also worked for BBCand Deutsche Welle in the past, was currently facing charges under a controversial electronic crimes act and two criminal code provisions.

The charges include “defamatory remarks against the respected institutions of Pakistan” and “cyber-terrorism”, the RSF said, calling on a Karachi court to dismiss the charges.

“Pakistan’s authorities are yet again manipulating the laws in order to silence a journalist who dared to cross a red line by criticising certain institutions,” said Daniel Bastard, the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk.

“It is shocking to see how, little by little, case by case, the Pakistani security agencies are tightening their vice in order to intimidate the entire media profession into censoring themselves.”

Criticism of the security establishment has long been seen as a red line for the country’s media, with journalists and bloggers complaining of intimidation tactics including kidnappings, beatings, and even killings if they cross that line, the media watchdog said.

The Committee to Protect Journalists in a report released in September 2018 said the army had “quietly but effectively set restrictions on reporting”.

The complaint against Jillani accuses him of making “audacious” remarks against “invisible security forces” during a 2017 Dunya TV appearance, and making similar comments in 2019.

The initial police report into the complaint, seen by AFP, notes that in investigating the claim it was also revealed that Jillani had tweeted “sarcastic, derogatory, disrespectful and defamatory language” against Pakistan and institutions including the military and army chief.

The report said the tweet was tantamount to creating a “sense of fear, panic, insecurity in the government institutions, general public and society”.

Jillani is due to appear before a court on Wednesday, according to RSF.

Dawn

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Dawn: Harassing journalists

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PPF condemns attack on office of local media organization in Harare

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) in a letter to Emmerson Mnangagwa, President of Zimbabwe has expressed concern over the attack on office of 263 Chat, Harare based local media organization.

PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali in his letter, has condemned the attack on the reporter and office of 263 Chat and urged the authorities to immediately investigate the matter and hold the officers responsible for attacking media.

According to Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Lovejoy Mutongwiza, reporter of 263 Chat was covering a joint operation of the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) and Harare municipal police to arrest the vendors operating in a locality of the 263 Chat offices.

While covering the operation, a uniformed officer asked Mutongwiza to stop taking photos of the operation. As the reporter was obeying with this order, a mob of plain clothed officers started running towards him, the reporter fled for the safety of his life and his equipment.

A number of uniformed police officers and around ten plain clothed municipal officers followed Mutongwiza all the way to his office. While entering the premises of 263 Chat, one of the officers fired a teargas canister directly at the reporter attacking him with the shell on the abdomen.

The officers than thrown two other teargas into the offices and some of the officers blocked the doors preventing the staff from escaping the offices.

The police officers also seized cellphone of one of the staff of organization, because he was recording the attack through his cellphone. Mutongwiza reported the incident at the Harare Central Police station.