(MENAFN- Tribal News Network)
PESHAWAR: The Digital media Alliance of Pakistan (DigiMAP) strongly condemned in a press release the inclusion of senior journalists Farooq Mehsud, Ishtiaq Mehsud, and Muhammad Aslam in the Schedule IV list of the National Counter terrorism Authority (NACTA).
The Fourth Schedule under Anti Terrorism Act (ATA) means the person concerned has become a proscribed person. Restrictions imposed on such persons include passport embargo, freezing of bank accounts, ban on financial support and credit, arms license embargo, and employment clearance restrictions.
DigiMAP also denounces the actions of the Battagram district administration and police for filing an FIR and taking action under the 3MPO against senior journalist Ehsan Naseem. Naseem, who works in print, electronic, and digital media, was arrested and jailed after conducting an interview with Manzoor Pashteen, the leader of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM).
DigiMAP is calling for the immediate release of Ehsan Naseem and the removal of Farooq Mehsud, Ishtiaq Mehsud, and Muhammad Aslam from the Schedule IV list. It urges authorities to respect press freedom and journalists' rights.
In a press statement issued on Wednesday, DigiMAP President Sabookh Syed expressed strong disapproval. Mr. Sabookh stated that these actions mark a dark time for press freedom in Pakistan and violate the principles of law and order. He warned that such repression could foster authoritarianism and destabilize society.
He expressed further concern over the killing of journalists in Sindh and the closure of newspapers aimed at silencing journalists and threatening their livelihoods.
He also noted that laws meant to combat terrorism are being misused to target journalists. Journalist unions, human rights organizations, and civil society-both in Pakistan and abroad-have raised concerns over these actions.
DigiMAP Secretary General Adnan Aamir condemned the inclusion of journalists on the Schedule IV list, emphasizing that no journalist should be penalized for reporting the truth.
DIGIMAP Vice President Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Tayyeb Afridi stressed that the inclusion or removal of journalists' names from such lists is not a trivial matter, as it causes panic and distress among journalists, their families, and the broader community.
DigiMAP later welcomed the decision by the Deputy Commissioner of South Waziristan Upper to remove the names of journalists from the list, calling it the right step in upholding press freedom and expressing hope that it won't be repeated in the future.
These developments came in the wake of the federal government's recent decision against the banned Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), adding several individuals to the Schedule IV list under Section 11EE of Pakistan's Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997 for allegedly supporting the group. A notification from the Interior Ministry declared the PTM "unlawful" under Section 11B of the Anti-Terrorism Act, citing the group as a "significant danger" to public order, the press released said.
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