QUETTA: Journalist bodies in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province on Wednesday criticized a decision by authorities to restrict the Quetta Press Club from holding “long-form events and seminars” without the government’s permission, amid a deteriorating law-and-order situation in the restive province.
The decision was announced by the Quetta deputy commissioner days after deadly assaults by an ethnic Baloch separatist group, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), killed more than 50 people, including 19 security officials, in several districts across Balochistan.
Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has been the site of a low-level insurgency for the last two decades, with separatist militants intensifying attacks on Pakistanis from neighboring provinces working in the region as well as foreigners, including Chinese citizens, in recent years.
Journalist bodies strongly condemned the restriction on the Quetta Press Club, describing the directives as an attempt to “curb free speech and press freedom” in the province and demanding its immediate withdrawal.
“The law-and-order situation has not been created due to speeches and freedom of expression, but rather is a result of denial of rights, injustice in the society and authoritarian behavior of the establishment and crippled state machinery,” Afzal Butt, president of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), said in a statement.
Similar statements were issued by the Karachi and Lahore press clubs, calling the decision a “blatant attack” on fundamental rights.
The Quetta Press Club and the Balochistan Union of Journalists (BUJ) have also summoned a joint meeting today, Thursday, to deliberate over the move. “The QPC and BUJ will sit together to decide a future plan,” Banaras Khan, the QPC secretary-general, told Arab News on Wednesday.
Quetta Deputy Commissioner Saad bin Asad told Arab News the decision does not apply to press conferences, and was only meant for “long-form events and seminars.”
“The decision was not made for press conferences, but we have put new restrictions on long-form events and seminars. This is a similar practice being implemented in other cities of Pakistan,” he said.
“Before holding any event or seminar in Quetta Press Club, Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) or political parties have to get government’s permission and we will review the content before allowing them.”
In May, authorities had also locked down the gate of the Quetta Press Club and stopped members of an ethnic Baloch rights organization, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), from entering it after BYC leader Dr. Mahrang Baloch was invited to address a seminar there on human rights abuses in Balochistan.
Balochistan is also currently in the grips of civil rights protests by young ethnic Baloch who are calling for an end to what they describe as a pattern of enforced disappearances and other human rights abuses by security forces, who deny the charge.
Journalist bodies criticize restriction on Quetta Press Club from holding events without government permission
https://arab.news/yv2v5
Journalist bodies criticize restriction on Quetta Press Club from holding events without government permission
- The decision came days after deadly attacks claimed by a Baloch separatist group killed over 50 people in Pakistan’s Balochistan
- Quetta deputy commissioner says decision doesn’t apply to pressers, only ‘long-form events and seminars’ have been restricted
Pakistan opposition rallies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to demand release of Imran Khan
- PTI-led gathering calls the former PM a national hero and demands the release of all political prisoners
- Government says the opposition failed to draw a large crowd and accuses PTI of damaging its own politics
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s opposition led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party demanded the release of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan at a rally in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday, describing him as a national hero who continues to command public support.
The gathering came days after a rare and strongly worded briefing by the military’s media chief, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, who dismissed Khan as “narcissistic” and “mentally ill” on Friday while responding to the former premier’s allegations that Pakistan’s chief of defense forces was responsible for undermining the constitution and rule of law.
He said that Khan was promoting an anti-state narrative which had become a national security threat.
The participants of the rally called for “civilian supremacy” and said elected representatives should be treated with respect.
“We, the people of Pakistan, regard Imran Khan as a national hero and the country’s genuinely elected prime minister, chosen by the public in the February 8, 2024 vote,” said a resolution presented at the rally in Peshawar. “We categorically reject and strongly condemn the notion that he or his colleagues pose any kind of threat to national security.”
“We demand immediate justice for Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi and all political prisoners, and call for their prompt release,” it added, referring to Khan’s wife who is also in prison. “No restrictions should be placed on Imran Khan’s meetings with his family, lawyers or political associates.”
Addressing the gathering, Sohail Afridi, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, denied his administration was not serious about security issues amid increased militant activity. However, he maintained the people of his province had endured the worst of Pakistan’s conflict with militancy and urged a rethinking of long-running security policies.
The resolution asked the federal government to restore bilateral trade and diplomatic channels with Afghanistan, saying improved cross-border ties were essential for the economic stability of the region.
The trade between the two neighbors has suffered as Pakistan accuses the Taliban administration in Kabul of sheltering and facilitating armed groups that it says launch cross-border attacks to target its civilians and security forces. Afghan officials deny the claim.
The two countries have also had deadly border clashes in recent months that have killed dozens of people on both sides.
Some participants of the rally emphasized the restoration of democratic freedoms, judicial independence and space for political reconciliation, calling them necessary to stabilize the country after years of political confrontation.
Reacting to the opposition rally, Information Minister Attaullah Tarrar said the PTI and its allies could not gather enough people.
“In trying to build an anti-army narrative, they have ruined their own politics,” he said, adding that the rally’s reaction to the military’s media chief’s statement reflected “how deeply it had stung.”
“There was neither any argument nor any real response,” he added, referring to what was said by the participants of the rally.
