Pakistani journalists Ahmad Noorani and Shahid Aslam targeted in leak case
New York, June 8, 2023–Pakistan authorities must cease harassing journalists Ahmad Noorani and Shahid Aslam and allow them to work without interference, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. In late May, Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) issued an investigative report, which CPJ reviewed, accusing the journalists of involvement in illegally accessing the tax records…
Pakistani journalist Sami Abraham ‘abducted,’ Imran Riaz Khan missing
New York, May 25, 2023–-Pakistan authorities must immediately reveal the whereabouts of journalists Sami Abraham and Imran Riaz Khan and stop intimidating the press as the country’s political turmoil drags on, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. At around 9 p.m. on Wednesday, May 24, between eight and 10 men—some wearing uniforms—detained Abraham, president…
Journalists arrested and attacked, media offices set ablaze amid Pakistan protests
New York, May 12, 2023—Pakistan authorities and the leadership and supporters of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party must respect the rights of journalists covering the country’s political unrest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. Amid protests following the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday, May 9, authorities and supporters of Khan’s…
Pakistani journalist Imran Riaz Khan arrested for alleged hate speech
New York, February 2, 2023 – Pakistan authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Imran Riaz Khan and cease targeting journalists in retaliation for their commentary on the military, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. In the early hours of Thursday, February 2, officers with Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency arrested Khan, an anchor with…
Pakistani journalist Shahid Aslam arrested in leak investigation
New York, January 17, 2023 – Pakistan authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Shahid Aslam and allow the media to freely and independently report on military officials, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On January 13, Federal Investigation Agency officers in Lahore arrested Aslam, a special correspondent for the privately owned broadcaster BOL…
Pakistani journalists Jameel Farooqui and Ilyas Samoo arrested; Farooqui remains in detention
New York, August 23, 2022–Pakistan authorities should immediately and unconditionally release journalist Jameel Farooqui, and cease harassing him and journalist Ilyas Samoo in retaliation for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On August 19, police in southeastern Sindh province’s Thatta district arrested Samoo, a reporter for the privately owned daily newspaper Awami…
Pakistan police open multiple criminal investigations into four journalists
New York, May 25, 2022– Pakistan authorities must immediately drop their investigations into journalists Sami Abraham, Arshad Sharif, Sabir Shakir, and Imran Riaz Khan, and refrain from arresting and targeting journalists in retaliation for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Since May 18, police across Pakistan have filed multiple first information reports…
Pakistan authorities open criminal inquiry into anchor Sami Abraham
New York, May 9, 2022 – Pakistan authorities must immediately drop their inquiry into journalist Sami Abraham and cease subjecting members of the press to legal harassment in retaliation for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On May 6, Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency opened an inquiry into Abraham, an anchor with the…
Pakistani journalists with BOL News assaulted covering hotel gathering during COVID-19 lockdown
On July 31, 2021, employees at the Peshawari Chapli Kebab Hotel, a hotel and restaurant in the Shah Faysal colony of Karachi city in the southern Sindh province assaulted, harassed, and obstructed the work of four journalists and media workers with privately owned news channel BOL News, according to a BOL report and a video…
Pakistan court suspends regulator’s ban on BOL News broadcaster
On January 22, 2021, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority, the country’s broadcast regulator, ordered BOL News, a privately owned news channel, to be suspended for 30 days and fined the outlet 1 million rupees (US$6,225), according to news reports and a statement by the regulator. On January 25, when courts reopened after the weekend,…