JournalismPakistan.com | Published February 07, 2020
Join our WhatsApp channel
Global media watchdog Reporters without Borders (RSF) has called on the Dutch authorities to investigate a recent attack on an exiled Pakistani blogger in the Netherlands and provide him protection.
In a February 6 statement, RSF said Amad Waqass Goraya was attacked by two unidentified men outside his house in the western city of Rotterdam on February 2.
Daniel Bastard, head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk, urged the Dutch police to concentrate on Goraya’s complaint, including the possibility of the Pakistani spy service, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), being involved in the attack.
“If it is confirmed that the ISI was responsible for this shocking attack, it would set an unacceptable precedent and would constitute a flagrant violation of Dutch sovereignty,” Bastard noted. “We therefore urge Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok to immediately summon Pakistan’s ambassador to The Hague and demand an explanation.”
The Pakistani authorities have not commented on the attack or Goraya’s accusations. But the Pakistani military has repeatedly denied any involvement in intimidating or harassing journalists.
“I was on the phone when a man appeared and began punching me in the face while I saw another man with him filming the attack,” Goraya told RSF about the February 2 attack. RSF said the attacker threatened to kill Goraya and warned him that “he knew exactly where he [Goraya] and his family live.”
Goraya 36, an IT specialist, was abducted in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore in January 2017. He fled to the Netherlands after his release a few weeks later. He complained of being tortured during captivity. He told the BBC that he had been tortured “beyond limits” and identified his abductors as a "government institution" with links to the military.
According to RSF, Goraya was one of six journalists accused in an internal memo by the Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) of posting photos of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi online ahead of a visit by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman to Islamabad.
The FIA, an offshoot of the Interior Ministry, said the journalists should be “investigated” by the intelligence agencies. “Which in this context presumably meant subjected to harassment and intimidation,” the RSF statement said.
RSF’s 2019 World Press Freedom Index ranked Pakistan 142nd out of 180 countries.—By Reporters without Borders/Photo courtesy: BBC
April 08, 2025: Journalist Arzoo Kazmi alleges that Pakistan's state agencies, including the FIA, have blocked her CNIC, passport, and bank account while threatening her. She calls it a direct attack on journalism.
November 28, 2024: Senior journalist Matiullah Jan has been abducted in Islamabad while investigating PTI protest deaths. Rights lawyers have filed a habeas corpus petition as charges of drug possession and terrorism spark outrage.
May 26, 2022: PTI supporters attack Jang/Geo offices in Islamabad & other cities amid D-Chowk protests—DSNG vans damaged, stones hurled amid anti-media slogans. Political-media tensions escalate.
May 16, 2022: Journalist Zahid Abbas Malik disappears in Lahore amid suspected agency involvement. PFUJ, press clubs demand action as nationwide protests loom over Pakistan's press freedom crisis.
April 30, 2022: DawnNews anchor Adil Shahzeb faces death threats & harassment, allegedly from PTI leaders. Journalists rally behind him as #JournalismIsNotACrime trends. Details on the escalating media safety crisis.
April 17, 2022: PTI supporters harass journalists, including women reporters, at Imran Khan's Karachi rally. Samaa TV's Zam Zam Saeed shares footage of abuse—cameraman injured, shirts torn. Media outcry grows.
March 15, 2022: Haripur Press Club President Zakir Tanoli attacked by masked assailants—struck with knives and pistol butts after chili powder assault. Journalists demand immediate action.
February 16, 2022: FIA arrests journalist Mohsin Jamil Baig after Islamabad raid over alleged cybercrime violations. The incident followed Murad Saeed's complaint under PECA 2016. Details on the confrontation and charges.
April 30, 2025 Freedom of expression in Pakistan is under threat, as the 2025 Freedom Network report reveals increased arrests, censorship, and legal restrictions following amendments to PECA, posing serious risks to journalists and democratic values.
April 30, 2025 Dawn has criticized the Indian media's calls for war and condemned the banning of 16 Pakistani YouTube channels, urging a rational response after the Pahalgam attack that left 26 dead.
April 28, 2025 India has banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels, including major news outlets and individual journalists, following the deadly Pahalgam attack. Tensions escalate as Islamabad demands a neutral probe.
April 23, 2025 Discover Dr. Nauman Niaz’s In A Different Realm: Story of Quadruple & Triple Centuries 1876–2025, a profound exploration of cricket's most monumental innings, blending historical analysis with poetic narrative.
April 23, 2025 Pakistani journalists respond in unison to a post hinting at a possible Indian military strike. Citing the 2019 ‘Swift Retort,’ they warn of a stronger response if provoked again.