By Ashrafuddin Pirzada
LANDIKOTAL: Political and social activists, local government representatives, tribal elders and journalists condemned the raid by masked armed men on District Press Club Khyber, holding Khyber District Police Officer (DPO) responsible for the incident.
The condemnation came during an event on freedom of expression held at the District Press Club Khyber in Landikotal on Thursday, where speakers expressed serious concern over what they described as attempts to intimidate journalists and restrict freedom of expression.
Addressing the gathering, area representative and development council member Malik Abdul Razzaq Afridi, Shah Khalid Shinwari, Murad Hussain Afridi, Fazlur Rehman Afridi, Nisar Afridi, Qari Nazeem Shah Shinwari, Israr Shinwari, Farman Shinwari, Ali Rakhman Shinwari and other speakers said the press club was an important platform for raising public grievances and bringing people’s problems to the attention of the authorities.
They said attempts to suppress journalists and curtail freedom of expression were unacceptable, adding that the security situation in the tribal districts was deteriorating and residents were increasingly facing restrictions and difficulties.
The speakers questioned why masked armed men had been sent to the press club and what illegal activities were allegedly taking place there. They said that if holding a press conference also became an offence, people would have no effective platform to communicate their concerns to the authorities.
They alleged that the DPO Khyber was responsible and criticized the lack of accountability for such incidents.
The speakers said tribal people had historically remained peaceful and law-abiding, adding that they had endured the former Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), accepted the merger of the former tribal areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and continued to remain silent despite the imposition of a new emergency. However, they said residents were still being denied the opportunity to live in peace.
Describing Landikotal as a peaceful tehsil, the speakers said local people wanted lasting peace and urged the authorities to resolve disputes within the framework of the constitution and law.
They called on the relevant authorities to address public concerns rather than force people to take to the streets and demanded that journalists be allowed to perform their professional duties freely and without intimidation.
At the end of the event, political and social activists, tribal elders, and journalists pledged to continue working together to resolve local issues and maintain peace in the area.
The participants described the reported raid on the press club as an act of brutality and demanded a transparent investigation into the incident and action against those found responsible.
