PAKISTAN: A journalist was attacked by terrorists from a banned militant organisation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) December 6, 2011 -- Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-241-2011

7 December 2011

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PAKISTAN: A journalist was attacked by terrorists from a banned militant organisation

ISSUES: Freedom of expression; human rights defender; religious minority; intimidation; impunity
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Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding a journalist and prominent human rights defender that has left the country after an attempt to abduct him by a banned Muslim militant organization, the Jamaatud Dawa, which was allegedly involved in sectarian and terrorist attacks both inside and outside the country. He was continuously receiving death threats through unknown telephone calls about which he had informed several times to the authorities but no one bothered to provide him protection. The banned organization enjoys impunity by the higher courts and Punjab provincial government for its alleged crimes of abduction, sectarian murder and nuclear threats. Punjab government has allowed Jamaatud Dawa to operate, collect funds, intimidate journalists and provide arms training to militants in the Punjab province despite the ban on the organization. Many journalists were threatened and intimidated by this organization which has compelled them to remain silent on many incidents against the religious minority groups.

CASE NARRATIVE:

Mr. Afnan Khan, the chief reporter at the Daily Times, Lahore, Punjab, was stopped by two unidentified armed men on Canal Road but was able to flee the scene due to fear of some approaching vehicles and noise of horns. Afnan Khan was the joint secretary of Punjab Union of Journalist and a prominent human rights activist who was working on the cases of persecution of religious minority groups.

On the day of the incident, Khan was going to his home from the Daily Times office at around 2a.m. on 3 December 2011. He noticed that a Land Cruiser was chasing him when he took a turn to Canal Bank Road from The Mall. The vehicle overtook his car then stopped in front of it, compelling Khan to stop his car. Two men holding pistols immediately jumped out of the vehicle and aimed their guns at him. He was confused and pushed the horn. Meanwhile, some car with its heavy lights appeared behind on the deserted road and out fear the assailants rushed to their vehicle and drove away.

After regaining his senses, Afnan Khan made a call to rescue police at its help line 15. Somebody picked up the phone and he told the whole story, requesting him to send some help. After waiting for five minutes, he again called but police didn't come to the spot. Fearing that the assailants might return he left the place and reached his residence. After reaching his house, Khan once again called rescue police 15 to inform then that he was safe but nobody came there and he wanted to lodge the first information report of the incident.

Khan has stated to his newspaper that ''the people who tried to pick me might belong to Jamaatud Dawa as I had also criticised them for wall-chalking and add campaign against India while urging people to launch jihad against India despite claiming to have a charity organisation and claiming to have no links with banned Lashkar-e-Tayyaba. I had questioned the role of security agencies in these issues too.''

In his application to Ghalib Market Station House Officer for registration of a report, Afnan Khan stated that his life was under serious threat and the law enforcers could not do anything to ensure his security despite multiple threats. ''I was receiving numerous threat calls due to my critical reporting on the issues of human rights, minorities and investigative reports for several years and lodged a number of reports with the local police station in this regard. I have recently filed stories about how sectarianism was destroying the country and government was only taking superficial steps while letting the extremists openly run hate campaigns against their opponents.'' He mentioned the name of Jamaatud Dawa in the FIR for the attack and attempt to abduction.

Khan has told the AHRC that he is very much worried about his family members as there is no one to protect his family in the view of patronage of Punjab government to Muslim extremist and banned organizations.

Pakistan has been declared by the international journalist's organizations as the most dangerous country for journalists. During the year 2011, 16 journalists were killed and 47 injured, please find the link; http://www.humanrights.asia/news/ahrc-news/AHRC-STM-184-2011.

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please write the letters to the authorities mentioned here urging them to prosecute the leaders of the banned militant organization, Jamaatud Dawa, for intimidating and coercing the journalists for performing their professional duties. Also action must be taken against the provincial officials for providing impunity to the banned sectarian organizations and ignoring the threatening calls to the journalists in an attempt to appease the militant and sectarian groups. Please also urge the authorities to provide protection to the family members of Afnan Khan.

The AHRC is writing a separate letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression and the Special Rapporteurs on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders calling for their intervention into this matter.

To support this appeal, please click here: http://www.humanrights.asia/news/urgent-appeals/AHRC-UAC-241-2011

freedom of expression     human rights defenders     Impunity     religious minorities