CFRM letter to editors The News and Jang re: an unethical, false and irresponsible report

The Citizens for Free and Responsible Media, Pakistan, has sent an email to the Editors of The News and Jang regarding an unethical, false and irresponsible report about Ali Dayan’s testimony before the US congressional hearing on Balochistan, in response to a private member’s proposed resolution in the House of Representatives. Text of the email posted in a Note in the [...]

Kamran Shahid’s threat to CFRM signatories…

Kamran Shahid of Express TV sent the following email to Citizens for Free and Responsible Media in response to CFRM’s letter on the Pakistani media and Balochistan that was also emailed to him. Both are posted on the CFRM facebook page. I do wonder what about the letter he found “factually incorrect and harassing” and on what [...]

Pakistan: Media and Balochistan – Citizens for Free and Responsible Media statement

Tuesday February 21, 2012:  Citizens for Free and Responsible Media statement on the Media and Balochistan To: All TV channel heads, producers and directors, newspaper editors, DG PEMRA, Minister of Information, Prime Minister Pakistan Summary: 1. We urge the Government to facilitate dialogue by lifting curbs on the media in Balochistan. 2. We call upon the [...]

PMA condemns colleague’s murder | Dr Baqir Shah

The Pakistan Medical Association, Karachi has strongly condemned the brutal murder of Dr. Baqir Shah, Police Surgeon, Quetta… The reason for his killing is obvious: that he was the key witness of the Kharotabad incident. He had conducted the post-mortem examination of the victims and had given the factual version that the victims had died [...]

Baloch Hal Editorial: War Against Baloch Doctors

It is an outrage and a violation of freedom of expression that Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) continues to block Baloch Hal in Pakistan at a time when this voice needs to be heard across the country now, more than ever.  Reproduced below, BH editorial pegged on the target killing of Dr Baqir Shah (emphasis added): [...]

Who Was Dr. Baqir Shah?

Since the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) continues to block Baloch Hal in Pakistan, I’m posting these news items from their website here. The saga of Pakistan’s ‘enlightenment’ martyrs continues… Who Was Dr. Baqir Shah? The Baloch Hal News QUETTA: Dr. Baqir Shah, a police surgeon, had conducted the postmortem of the five foreigners, including three women [...]

“We want to attend universities, not funerals” – Young Women of Balochistan

Below please see a letter from Young Women of Balochistan, forwarded by a friend who received it via email on Dec 10, 2011, Human Rights Day – a day commemorated around the country and dedicated to the people of Balochistan by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (See this report by Rabia Ali). Ironically and tragically, that [...]

Journalism and safety in Pakistan (my take, in Asia Society blog)

Interview: Beena Sarwar on Journalism and Safety in Pakistan Published in Asia Society blog, November 8th, 2011 The body of missing Pakistani journalist Javed Naseer Rind was found on Saturday in a remote part of the troubled Pakistani province of Balochistan, marking the seventh death of a Pakistani journalist in 2011 and placing Pakistan on pace to [...]

The Kidnapping of Another Baloch Journalist | Baloch Hal editorial

Since the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority has blocked the website Baloch Hal in Pakistan, here’s Malik Siraj Akbar’s editorial that Pakistanis should have access to: The Kidnapping of Another Baloch Journalist Javid Naseer Rind, the former Deputy Editor of Daily Tawar, a leading anti-government Balochnewspaper published in Urdu language, was kidnapped on Saturday by unidentified people. Friends and family members of [...]

Baloch Hal Editorial: People’s Right to Know What Happened in Kharotabad

Once again, an important editorial from Baloch Hal online daily, being reproduced here because the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) has since November 2010 blocked the Baloch Hal website in Pakistan Editorial: People’s Right to Know What Happened in Kharotabad The Kharotabad tragedy was simply as tragic as tragedy can be.  The brutal killing of Chechen nationals, mainly [...]