Taliban plan attacks on media: report
JournalismPakistan.com | Published: 13 October 2012
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The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, led by Hakimullah Mehsud, plans to target media outlets for their criticism. This comes after the shooting of child activist Malala Yousufzai.Summary
ISLAMABAD: Hakimullah Mehsud of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has directed his men to target media organizations for criticizing them following the attack on child activist Malala Yousufzai.
BBC Urdu, quoting a Ministry of Interior official it did not name, said a telephonic conversation between Mehsud and his operative Nadeem Abbas had been intercepted by intelligence agencies.
In the conversation, Mehsud directs his man to attack international and national media organizations and journalists in major cities including Islamabad, Peshawar, Lahore and Karachi.
The Taliban were severely criticized for shooting and wounding Malala, 14, in Mingora (Swat) on October 9 and two other girls on a school bus as they headed home.
The government has directed the relevant authorities to provide security to media organizations that have also been threatened by the Taliban through emails.
In June four Taliban gunmen stormed the Karachi headquarters of Aaj TV that left a security guard and another employee injured – an attack the TTP said was carried out because of the channel’s ‘biasness’.
KEY POINTS:
- Hakimullah Mehsud directs TTP to attack media organizations.
- Intelligence intercepted a conversation about targeting journalists.
- Media outlets in major cities like Islamabad and Karachi are at risk.
- Malala Yousufzai's shooting prompted severe backlash against the Taliban.
- Government has ordered increased security for threatened media organizations.
