NE India based journalist forum appreciates Islamabad's gesture to Dawn scribe
Media reports from Islamabad stated that Pakistan's interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has ordered necessary directions to the authority after a meeting with representatives from All Pakistan Newspapers Society and the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors.
It may be mentioned the Nawaz Sharif government got angry over Almeida’s report titled ‘Act against militants or face international isolation, civilians tell military’ and put him on an exit control list meaning the Dawn journalist could be stopped from leaving the country.
“I am told and have been informed and have been shown evidence that I am on the Exit Control List,” twitted Almeida.
The exclusive report was published a week after the Indian armed forces conducted a surgical strike on terrorist camps inside Pakistan occupied Kashmir.
Carried out on September 29, the unique strike was in revenge against the September 18 terror attack in Uri of J&K by the Pakistan based militants killing 19 Indian soldiers.
Expressing concern over the Pakistan government’s indirect threats to a Pakistani scribe for his recent media reports, the JFA urged the Islamabad regime to show respect to the media.
The northeast India based scribes’ forum argued that Almeida showed his commitment in reporting the ongoing rift between the Islamabad government and the military in the backdrop of Indo-Pak conflict.
Later the Pakistan government issued a statement claiming the news report ‘was clearly violative of universally acknowledged principles of reporting on national security issues and has risked the vital state interests through inclusion of inaccurate and misleading contents’.
Prior to it, PM Sharif had an exhausted discussion with the country’s army chief General Raheel Sharif, ISI chief LieutenantGeneral Rizwan Akhtar, interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan andPunjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif.
“The journalists should/must get the freedom to report on various issues without fear. The government as well as civil society & advocacy groups should also support the media persons in playingtheir roles for the benefit of the reader/audience/viewers,” said a statement issued by JFA president Rupam Barua and secretary Nava Thakuria.
(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
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