Police register case against journalist Asad Ali

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 14 September 2020

Asad Ali Toor's case exemplifies the increasing threats to press freedom in Pakistan. The police action has drawn significant backlash from fellow journalists and activists.

Summary

ISLAMABAD—Journalist Asad Ali Toor on Monday said Rawalpindi Police have registered a case against him for his alleged anti-Pakistan and anti-military tweets.

In a tweet, Toor said: “IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Without listening me reportedly on the complaint of a proxy character Hafiz Ehtisham Rawalpindi police registered FIR against me allegedly on being “Anti #Pakistan and propagating against #PakistanArmy on social media.” Such fascist tactics can’t silent me.”

With his tweet, he shared the images of news about the case registration, which appeared in a local Urdu newspaper.

After Absar Alam and Bilal Farooqi, he is the third journalist facing a police case over his tweets.

Condemnations followed soon after Toor made public the registration of the case.

Hasan Zaidi termed it a “Shameful state.” Amber Rahim Shamsi thought “The crackdown continues.” Dawn’s Khurram Hussain termed it a “new way to pressure journalists into silence. It is an attack of press freedoms.”

Murtaza Solangi said such tactics would not be able to silence journalists. “The harassment by @ImranKhanPTI regime against journalists continues. You shall fail in silencing us.”

KEY POINTS:

• Rawalpindi Police registered a case against journalist Asad Ali Toor.
• Toor's tweets are claimed to be anti-Pakistan and anti-military.
• This marks the third incident of legal action against journalists over social media posts.
• Fellow journalists condemned the police action as an attack on press freedom.
• Critics argue such tactics are designed to silence dissenting voices.