Jamaat-e-Islami KP chief Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan says Imran Khan turned Islamabad insecure for journalists

Addressing a news conference at Ahyaul Uloom at Balmabat, the JI leader said the domestic, foreign, economic, defence and political policies of the government had totally failed while the inflation bomb was about to fall on the people in the upcoming budget, reports The News International.

Attack on journalists:

A recent series of attacks and growing pressure on journalists who criticize the Pakistan government is a cause for serious concern, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the International Commission of Jurists have said. Those suspected of criminal responsibility should be promptly and fairly prosecuted, they said.

The Pakistan government should conduct prompt, impartial, and effective investigations into the recent number of attacks on journalists. The government should rescind official policies that protect the authorities from criticism and instead promote space for public debate and free expression, in the face of threats from extremist groups and government officials.

“The frequency and audacity with which journalists are being attacked in Pakistan is appalling,” said Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch.

“The Pakistani authorities should bring those responsible for these attacks to justice and ensure that all journalists can do their jobs without fear of intimidation or reprisals.”

On May 25, 2021, Asad Ali Toor, a journalist, was assaulted by three unidentified men who forcibly entered his apartment in Islamabad. They bound and gagged Toor and severely beat him up.

Toor said that they identified themselves as being from a security agency, interrogated him about the “source of his funds,” and took away his cell phone and other electronic devices.

The government ordered an investigation into the incident. In September 2020, the authorities charged Toor with sedition for comments made on social media “maligning state institutions.” A court later dismissed the charges.

On April 20, an unidentified assailant shot and wounded Absar Alam, a television journalist, outside his house in Islamabad. Alam has been a prominent critic of the government.