Dawn refuses to publish Akbar Zaidi's articles

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 11 June 2018

Dawn has refused to publish S. Akbar Zaidi's articles amid concerns over military-related censorship. The situation highlights ongoing tensions between press freedom and military influence in Pakistan.

Summary

ISLAMABAD – Dawn has reportedly refused to publish S. Akbar Zaidi’s articles on political issues because of the problems the paper faces with the military and its agencies.

The paper is said to have told the writer who is a political economist, that the threats are “very serious.”

In an email extract available on a social media platform, Zaidi reportedly wrote: "Dawn has said that they cannot publish my articles on political issues because of censorship problems that they are facing with regard to the military and its agencies. They say that the threats are very serious.”

Zaidi has written articles for Dawn for several years.

Distribution of Dawn has been disrupted in many parts of the country including military cantonments after the paper published an exclusive report on the state of civil-military relations in October 2016.

The Committee to Protect Journalists recently quoted Dawn Editor Zaffar Abbas as saying: "We believe it's the right of the military or any institution to buy or discontinue any newspaper. Our only objection was on stoppages of delivery to civilians living in such cantonments."

The Press Council of Pakistan - a media regulatory body - issued a notice to Dawn regarding the article for "alleged violation of the ethical code of practice," pointing to a clause that calls on the press to avoid printing material that undermines Pakistan's "sovereignty and integrity as an independent country.

There are also reports of a second notice issued by the Press Council of Pakistan to the paper over another article that it published in recent weeks.

Photo courtesy: Dawn