On October 7, senior journalists Farooq Mehsud, Ishtiaq Mehsud, and Muhammad Aslam were added to the Fourth Schedule list maintained by the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA), labelling them as ‘proscribed’ persons due to their alleged support of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), banned on October 6. The journalists face significant restrictions to their personal freedoms, with the label allowing authorities to impose financial, travel, and other barriers.
The Ministry of Interior issued a notification declaring the PTM to be a proscribed unlawful organisation under Section 11B of the 1997 Anti-Terrorism Act. The government claims that the PTM poses a significant danger to public order and safety, and in response, have named the journalists and several other individuals on the ‘Fourth Schedule’, designating them as supporters or facilitators of terrorist activity.
In a separate incident, Battagram journalist Ehsan Naseem was arrested on October 8 following the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance, weeks after he had conducted an interview with PTM leader Manzoor Pashteen in September. The order, dated from October 6, will extend until early November.
In another incident, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), Pakistan’s media regulatory body, issued show-cause notices to several TV channels for their coverage of a suspected suicide terror attack near Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport on October 6. The Association of Electronic Media Editor and News Directors (AEMEND) condemned PEMRA’s action, terming the notices as "illegal" and malicious. The media body stated that TV channels were facing announced and unannounced restrictions following PEMRA's orders, adding that the show-cause notices "aimed at imposing illegal censorship" on TV channels.
The PFUJ said: “The government's actions against journalists and TV channels are completely unacceptable. We call on the Government of Pakistan to immediately revoke these orders and cease its attempts to stifle press freedom.”
The IFJ said: “Criminalising journalists for their reporting is a clear attack on press freedom and independent journalism. The IFJ calls on KP and Pakistani government to immediately reverse these punitive actions against journalists and uphold its obligations to protect media freedom and the rights of journalists to report without fear of reprisal.”