Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar has expressed deep concern and regret over the notice sent to Dawn News journalist Abdullah Momand by Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur.<\/p>\n
The minister, in a news statement, said serving a Rs. 1 billion notice to Abdullah Momand merely for asking a question is tantamount to an \u201cattack on press freedom, and violation of democratic values, and a deviation from the constitution\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is the duty of a journalist to ask questions,\u201d he said, adding that serving a notice in response to a question is not only unconstitutional and illegal but also unethical.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuch actions are intended to undermine democratic values and silence journalists especially by putting them under pressure,\u201d the minister remarked.<\/p>\n
He said democratic values demand that questions be answered with reason and clarification, not by harassing and intimidating journalists.<\/p>\n
\u201cThreatening journalists with defamation notices and cybercrime proceedings is unacceptable under any circumstances,\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n
The minister described this behavior as an \u201cabuse of state offices and powers\u201d, noting that such actions harm Pakistan\u2019s reputation not only domestically but also internationally.<\/p>\n
He highlighted that media freedom and the protection of journalists are considered human rights globally, and incidents of this nature damage Pakistan\u2019s positive image.<\/p>\n
Tarar called it \u201cextremely regrettable\u201d that every action of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) goes against the country\u2019s interests. He accused the party of habitually imposing restrictions on press freedom, ridiculing institutions, and attempting to defame public representatives.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government stands with the journalist community and will firmly oppose any action that attempts to suppress the media or violate democratic values,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar has expressed deep concern and regret over the notice sent to Dawn News journalist Abdullah Momand by Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur. The minister, in a news statement, said serving a Rs. 1 billion notice to Abdullah Momand merely for asking a question is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":491245,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-503806","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-national"},"yoast_head":"\n