Photographer killed, three other journalists injured in Pakistan attack
New York, May 3, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists mourns the death of freelance photographer Mehboob Khan, who was killed in an April 28 suicide bomb attack aimed at Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao. The minister escaped with minor injuries, but 28 people died in the attack at a political rally in the small town of…
In Pakistan, another TV station said to be shuttered
New York, April 26, 2007— Government regulators have ordered Royal TV off the air after its coverage of recent demonstrations concerning the dismissal of the chief judge of the country’s top court, the station said in a statement Wednesday. The largely Urdu-language station ordinarily broadcasts by satellite to the capital, Islamabad, and to nearby Rawalpindi,…
CPJ urges Pakistani president to halt recent government harassment
Dear President Musharaff: As Pakistanis prepare for elections and a possible change of national leadership in the coming months, the Committee to Protect Journalists calls on you to reverse the government’s recent anti-press actions and allow for greater public criticism of your administration in the media. Government harassment through legal, financial, and physical attacks on media houses runs contrary to your often-repeated claim of fostering a free press in Pakistan.
In Pakistan, a media group cries foul over government advertising
CPJ’s Bob Dietz discusses the situation in Pakistan. (mp3). New York, March 27, 2007— The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about a deteriorating media environment in Pakistan that includes both business retaliation and outright attacks on media companies.
Pakistani police raid Geo TV; president later apologizes
New York, March 16, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the Pakistani government to appoint an independent judicial commission to investigate and report on today’s outrageous assault by uniformed police on the offices of Geo TV and the Daily Jang in Islamabad. Riot police used tear gas and batons as they swept through the…
Pakistani journalist’s family massacred in apparent retribution for his work
New York, April 3, 2007—Foreign militants killed the brother, father, uncle, and cousin of Urdu-language Inkishaf reporter Din Muhammed at his home in South Waziristan in apparent retribution for his work, colleagues told the Committee to Protect Journalists. Three other family members were also abducted. It is not clear whether Muhammed was among them. “We…
CPJ relieved that missing Pakistani journalist was released
New York, February 21, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is relieved to learn that Daily Express Peshawar Editor Suhail Qalander, who had been missing along with a friend since January 2, has been returned to safety. The Daily Express is Pakistan’s second largest Urdu-language newspaper. Qalander and Niaz Mohammad, a local businessman, had last been…
Attacks on the Press 2006: Pakistan
PAKISTAN The military-backed government of President Pervez Musharraf, now in its eighth year, said in 2006 that it was fostering a free press, but the details belied the claim, and journalists continued to be targeted from many sides. While the government has allowed the expansion of broadcast media, a three-person CPJ delegation that met with…
CPJ concerned about missing Pakistani journalist
New York, January 26, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about journalist Suhail Qalander, who has been missing along with a friend since January 2. His colleagues believe he was kidnapped, possibly in relation to his work as a Peshawar editor of the Daily Express, Pakistan’s second largest Urdu language newspaper. “We join our…