By Ashrafuddin Pirzada
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Union of Journalists (KhUJ) has strongly condemned Peshawar division commissioner Riaz Mehsud for issuing notices to senior journalists under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), terming it a blatant attempt to stifle press freedom.
In a statement issued from the KhUJ office on Friday, president Kashifuddin Syed, general secretary Irshad Ali, and other office bearers denounced the notices served to senior journalists Aqeel Yousafzai, Zahir Shirazi, Salman Yousafzai, Sajid Takkar and female journalist Anum Malik. They declared PECA a “black law” that was always being misused to suppress free expression and obstruct journalists from bringing facts to the public.
The union leaders said that while the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government itself has rejected PECA, certain officials are misusing it to intimidate and blackmail journalists. They warned that punishing media professionals for fulfilling their responsibilities was tantamount to curbing the constitutional right to free expression.
They also highlighted the wider challenges faced by journalists in Pakistan, saying that “journalism is in chains” in the country.
The statement further accused Commissioner Riaz Mehsud of acting like a “monarch” who could not tolerate constructive criticism. President Kashifuddin Syed vowed that the union would not accept such attempts to curtail press freedom, emphasizing that journalists would continue their mission to deliver the truth to the people at all costs.
The KhUJ demanded that the government immediately intervene to halt harassment of journalists, warning that if such measures continued, province-wide protests would be launched to defend media rights.
Senior Journalist from district Khyber Ashrafuddin Pirzada commenting on the issue said that over the years, several journalists have been killed, injured and arrested as part of systematic attempts to silence the media and prevent exposure of government corruption, incompetence and failure to ensure the safety and security of media workers. He said journalists in KP and especially in the merged tribal districts were under severe pressure and facing threats while reporting factual news.
