Karachi(PR)The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) has strongly condemned the issuance of a government notice to senior Dawn reporter Akbar Notezai in response to one of his investigative reports, as well as the arrest of Sarfaraz Shah, the owner of Gadoshia Point channel and a journalism student at the University of Balochistan.Expressing deep concern over the deteriorating state of press freedom and freedom of expression in the province of Balochistan, the CPNE President and Secretary General, in a joint statement, remarked that curbing these fundamental rights and arresting a journalist amounts to a blatant violation of Article 19 of the Constitution of Pakistan.They stated that the action against Akbar Notezai was initiated under the guise of defamation, based on a report published on 26 August last year, in which he had exposed administrative mismanagement, abuse of authority, alleged corruption, and other regulatory breaches in Balochistan. Meanwhile, Sarfaraz Shah was reportedly detained simply for failing to submit a tenancy form — a pretext as feeble as it is telling.The CPNE has called upon the government to immediately withdraw the contentious notice served to Akbar Notezai, and to demonstrate its long-standing commitment to democracy in tangible form. It also demanded the immediate release of Sarfaraz Shah.Such actions, the CPNE warned, are casting a long shadow over Pakistan’s democratic credentials in the eyes of the world — and with good reason.Issued by: Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors
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