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The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has highlighted the case of Pakistani journalist Usman Khan, whose house was raided by the authorities three times in quick succession, forcing him into hiding and urged police to halt atrocities against him.
Khan was targeted for covering protests against human rights abuses in south-western Balochistan, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said. Reportedly, journalists in Pakistan for a long time have witnessed severe abuses of freedom of expression at the hands of Pakistani authorities and the defence forces. The journalists who express their critical opinions against the state are often faced with threats, torture, physical and mental abuse, and even death. Lih Yi Beh, the Asia Program Coordinator of the Committee to Protect Journalists asked Pakistani police to "immediately cease" attempts to detain Usman Khan and must do more to protect independent voices across the country. "Pakistani police must immediately cease their attempts to detain independent journalist Usman Khan and allow the media to report on current affairs without fear of intimidation or arrest. Pakistani authorities must do more to protect independent voices across the country. We have seen an alarming uptick in attacks on the press in Pakistan, with seven deaths so far this year," she said. The CPJ report claimed that Khan from an undisclosed location informed that uniformed and plainclothes police officers raided his home on July 31, August 2, and August 5, but he managed to escape. Khan said he knew that authorities planned to arrest him over his coverage because military officials questioned protesters about him. https://x.com/usman231010/status/1817970993484460406?s=46 Khan as a journalist reported extensively on the army's crackdown on demonstrators marching to the port city of Gwadar to attend a July 28 protest against enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Balochistan. Three people were killed in clashes with security forces. The same report by the CPJ claimed that an email requesting comment from Abdul Khaliq Sheikh, Inspector General of Police in Quetta, did not receive a response. Previously, prominent Baloch leader Maharang Baloch also condemned the abuses orchestrated by the Pakistani defence forces. In a post on 'X', she stated, "I strongly condemn the raid on journalist Usman Khan's home. Usman is a brave and dedicated journalist who, for performing his journalistic duties and covering the Baloch National Gathering, is being harassed along with his family". https://x.com/MahrangBaloch_/status/1819332872345735445 She added, "I appeal to the journalistic community and human rights organizations to raise their voices to ensure Usman Khan's safety, as his life is currently threatened by the military and intelligence agencies of the state of Pakistan for fulfilling his journalistic duties." (ANI)
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