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 case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear ___________,
PAKISTAN: A journalist was attacked by terrorists from a banned militant organization
Name of victim: Mr. Afnan Khan, chief reporter of Daily Times, Lahore, Punjab province
Names of alleged perpetrators:
1. Jamaatud Dawa, Lahore, Punjab province
2. Home Secretary, government of Punjab
Date of incident: 3 December 2011
Place of incident: Lahore, Punjab province
I am writing to voice my deep concern regarding the attempt to abduct a journalist who was working on the human rights issues particularly on religious minority groups who are being persecuted by Muslim religious groups with the patronage of authorities.
I am informed that Mr. Afnan Khan, the chief reporter at Daily Times, Lahore, Punjab, was stopped by two unidentified armed men at gunpoint on Canal Road but fled from 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 incident, Khan was going to his home from Daily Times office at around 2am on 3 December 2011. He noticed that a Land Cruiser was chasing him when he took 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 armed men holding pistols immediately jumped out of the vehicle and aimed their guns at him. He got confused and pushed the horn. Meanwhile, some car with heavy lights appeared behind on the deserted road and out of fear the assailants rushed to their vehicle and drove away.
It is regretful that 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 may come again, he left the place and reached his residence. After reaching his house, Khan once again called rescue police 15 to inform 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 him were belonging to Jamaatud Dawa as he 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. He had on many occasions questioned the role of security agencies with the militant banned organizations. He also mentioned in his police report that he was receiving numerous threat calls from Muslim religious banned groups.
I am shocked to know that police always ignored the reports from Khan about threats from the religious groups. The way of supporting and providing impunity to the religious militants by the Punjab government and police is the demonstration of total collapse of rule of law in the province of Punjab.
I was also informed that journalists in Punjab province are continuously in the threats from the Muslim religious groups to follow their dictates. These threats, which were not handled according to the laws by the government, are clear indication that government has tacit support to the militant groups to undermine the freedom of expression.
Pakistan has been declared as the most dangerous country for the journalists by many international human rights organizations which shows there is no room for freedom of expression in the country.
I, therefore, urge you to ensure the freedom of expression and security of the journalists for their professional duties. The government must follow the articles of the constitution of Pakistan and ICCPR for the freedom of expression and freedom of media in its true spirit.
I also urge you to prosecute the police and government officials of the Punjab province for their covert support to the banned militant out fits and providing impunity to them. Please also provide full security to the family members of Mr. Afnan Khan.
Yours sincerely,
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PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Mr. Asif Ali Zardari
President of Pakistan
President’s Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Tel: 92-51-9204801-9214171
Fax 92-51-9207458
Email: publicmail@president.gov.pk
2. Mr. Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani
Prime Minister
Prime Minister House
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 922 1596
Tel: +92 51 920 6111
E-mail: secretary@cabinet.gov.pk or pspm@pmsectt.gov.pk
3. Federal Minister for Human Rights
Ministry of Human Rights
Old US Aid building
Ata Turk Avenue
G-5, Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 9204108
Email: sarfraz_yousuf@yahoo.com
4. Mr. Lateef Khosa
Governor of Punjab
Governor House
Mall Road
Lahore
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 42 99203044
Email: governor.sectt@punjab.gov.pk
5. Mr Nasir Mehmood Khosa
Chief Secretary of Government of Punjab
Punjab Secretariat
Lahore
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 42 7324489
E-mail: chiefsecy@punjab.gov.pk
6. Mr. Rana Sana Ullah
Minister of Law
Government of Punjab
Punjab Secretariat
Ravi Road
Lahore
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 42 99212004
E-mail: law@punjab.gov.pk
7. Dr. Faqir Hussain
Registrar
Supreme Court of Pakistan
Constitution Avenue, Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: + 92 51 9213452
E-mail: mail@supremecourt.gov.pk
8. Inspector-General of Police, Punjab
Police Head Office
Lahore, Punjab province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 42 9921006
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia)
