Correspondent's house raided for reports on PTI leaders in Pakistan, Pak journalists denounce act
Dec 22, 2023
Islamabad [Pakistan], December 22 : Police broke into the house of a Pakistani correspondent, Khursheed Anwar Khan, late Thursday night without any warrants and searched his house, harassing the family, according to Dawn.
The Mianwali Police, with a dozen policemen cordoned off the house, while women police officers searched the house without producing any warrants.
This correspondent was informed by the police that they are not pleased with the journalist for covering the recent instances of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders from Mianwali district having their nomination papers stolen and for helping his relative, PTI district vice president of women's wing Amara Niazi, submit her nomination papers, Dawn reported.
Following the incident, senior Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir said that journalism is becoming "very difficult" in Pakistan.
In a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Mir said, "Journalism is becoming very difficult in Pakistan. Security agencies are monitoring the stories filed by district correspondents and harassing them through local police. Censorship is no more a secret, constitution turned into a joke."
https://x.com/HamidMirPAK/status/1738059014347600177?s=20
Meanwhile, the police said they raided the correspondent's house on a tip-off that the journalist was hiding Amara Niazi and other PTI activists.
According to Dawn, Khurshid Anwar Khan had reported massively on the treatment meted out to former MNA Amjad Khan Niazi, currently in jail for the May 9 riots.
Despite the special judge of the Anti-Terrorism Court in Sargodha's directives, Niazi was not permitted to sign his nomination papers.
The Dawn correspondent had earlier reported on the events of the two PTI ticket candidates' nomination papers being stolen on Wednesday at the district court's returning office. Despite the fact that both candidates pointed the finger at the civvies, the police denied their accusations and claimed not to be aware of the supposed instances, according to Dawn.
Among the candidates were Rafiullah Khan, the brother of former PTI MPA Ameenullah Khan and Gen Sanaullah Khan Shaheed, and Ziaullah Khan Niazi lawyer, a retired judicial officer.
The plight of journalists in Pakistan continues to remain a grave concern.
Recently, a senior Pakistani journalist, Sami Abraham, was reportedly 'abducted' by unidentified men in Islamabad on May 24, his family claimed, saying that there was no information available regarding his location.
Abraham was detained by law enforcement. Abraham's brother Ali Raza has reported a complaint of abduction to the Aabpara Police Station in the federal capital, according to Dawn.
He was taken against his will by a group of eight to ten unidentifiable individuals who suddenly emerged from the cars.
Notably, Sami Abraham is a leading Pakistani journalist and an anchor with the privately-owned broadcaster BOL News.
Pakistan continues to remain "one of the most dangerous countries" for journalists. As per the New Pakistan report, journalists in Pakistan have been killed by militants, insurgents, and "unidentified state actors."
While quoting an editorial from Dawn, the report stated, "The common thread in these killings is that truth and justice are elusive, and killers walk free while families look in vain for answers."
