The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) has strongly condemned the arrest of journalists Aftab Iqbal and Imran Riaz Khan and said that speech is everyone’s right which should not be banned under any circumstances.
CPNE President Kazim Khan has demanded the immediate release of the arrested journalists from the government and said that dissent cannot be forced by force. CPNE has mentioned these incidents several times in its Media Freedom Report and has reiterated its resolve that any action in the country that directly or indirectly targets the freedom of the press, we will always raise our voice against it. The President of CPNE further said that political battles should be fought in the fields of politics, for this an impartial profession like journalism should not be forced into it. He has further said that in the modern era of technology, ban on media is actually ban on freedom of expression. CPNE strongly condemns this. Mass media is a means of conveying the facts to the people. Depriving the people of their right to know is a violation of the constitution. The country is currently facing a severe political and economic situation and there is a series of announced and unannounced restrictions on journalism. Banning the press is against constitutional and democratic requirements. Cutting off the communication system in all major cities of the country, banning free and impartial reporting is a negation of the freedom of expression given in the constitution.
He said that CPNE also strongly condemns the destruction and burning of state properties by the angry protesters during the ongoing protests in the country. The present government and state institutions should try to solve all the situations with utmost patience and seriousness. He urged the government to immediately restore all means of news transmission, remove the ban on free reporting of journalists and pave the way for disseminating unbiased news and information to the public and adopt a democratic attitude. Save the country from the world stage.