Ashrafuddin Pirzada
PESHAWAR: The proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has issued a stark warning to national and international media and journalists, asking them to refrain from calling them a “terrorist outfit” or they will be treated as enemies.
In a statement apparently released by the TTP on social media on Monday in the Urdu language with the name of TTP spokesman Mohammad Khurasani. The written warning to media persons reportedly said they were monitoring the media coverage, branding the TTP with hateful titles, like “terrorists and extremists”.
“Using such terms for TTP showed a partisan role of media and journalists,” it said, adding this is a stigma on the profession of journalism, the notice appeared on social media said.
It said that Pakistani media had started referring to the TTP as a terrorist outfit since it began to target civilians in a series of attacks and was banned by the government.
It is worthy to mention that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan(TTP), a group of various militant outfits, was formed in 2007 and the federal government declared it a proscribed organization in August 2008. Baitullah Mehsud was the first chief of the TTP who was killed in a US drone attack in 2009.
