By Ashrafuddin Pirzada
LANDIKOTAL: Office-bearers and members of three press clubs in Khyber district have strongly condemned the raid by masked, armed men on the District Press Club Khyber in Landikotal, vowing to take joint measures to protect and support journalists.
The representatives of Landikotal, Bara and Jamrud Press Clubs held consultative meetings on Friday to discuss the incident and growing security concerns facing journalists in the tribal district.
During the meetings, the participants expressed serious concern over the entry of masked armed men into the District Press Club Khyber and the threats reportedly issued to journalists. They said such incidents seriously threaten press freedom and freedom of expression.
The three press clubs decided to hold separate meetings to discuss journalists’ security, rights and welfare. They also agreed to establish a joint committee to address emerging challenges and strengthen coordination with national-level journalists’ organizations.
The proposed committee would work to highlight the problems faced by journalists in the tribal districts and seek effective measures for their protection and welfare.
The participants said that journalists in Khyber were passing through a critical phase of life due to militancy and threats from various sides. They maintained that any restrictions on press freedom and freedom of expression were unacceptable. They said press clubs were not merely gathering places for journalists but also served as community centres and important platforms for raising the voices of poor and marginalized people before the authorities.
The meetings also decided to approach senior government officials, along with representatives of leading journalists’ organizations, to discuss the security concerns, journalists’ protection and professional challenges faced by tribal journalists and seek practical steps to prevent a recurrence of incidents such as the raid on the District Press Club Khyber. The joint meeting also demand the international journalists protection organizations to step forward and take timely steps for the journalists desiring need your efforts for their life protection.
