Balochistan journalists face serious threats, cry for help

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 14 October 2017

The Balochistan Union of Journalists and the Quetta Press Club have urged top media bodies to protect journalists facing threats. They condemned police violence and set a deadline for authorities to address their grievances.

Summary

QUETTA – The Balochistan Union of Journalists (BUJ) and the Quetta Press Club have called on the country’s top media bodies to play their roles in the wake of serious threats from terrorists to journalists in the province.

In a meeting held Saturday, President BUJ Khalil Ahmad and President press club Razaur Rahman said that it was time All-Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS), Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) and Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) to help the journalists and stand by them.

Earlier this week, the banned terrorist group United Baloch Army claimed the journalists were only presenting the government’s point of view and warned of armed action against them.

Its spokesman Murid Baloch warned print journalists to stay away from newspaper offices and press clubs and the newspaper hawkers and transporters to stop dispatching the newspapers.

The meeting noted that the situation following these threats was indeed grave and all journalist bodies and unions should show unity.

The journalists also discussed and condemned undue police violence against journalists last week that led to the closure of Kohlu Press Club.

They regretted that the provincial government and the senior police officials had not taken any notice of the press club’s closure and made no effort to address their grievances.

The house set a three-day deadline for the authorities to settle the matter or face protest in front of Inspector General’s office.

The meeting condemned the October 12 murder of journalist Haroon Khan in Swabi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and demanded the arrest of the perpetrators.