By Sudhir Ahmad Afridi
LANDI KOTAL: The District Press Club Khyber has convened an emergency meeting after senior journalist Farhad Shinwari allegedly received threats from organised human smuggling networks following his investigative reporting.
According to a statement issued by Press Club President Aman Ali Shinwari and General Secretary Hijrat Ali Afridi, the meeting will be held on Tuesday to discuss the threats and the use of abusive language against the journalist on social media. They said Shinwari’s investigative reports had exposed organised human smuggling allegedly being carried out under the cover of sports activities.
The officials stated that Shinwari had also obtained records relating to Afghan refugees who were allegedly issued identity cards through NADRA Landi Kotal and later sent abroad under the names of Pakistan’s football, futsal and Kyokushin karate teams. They added that large sums of money were reportedly taken from these individuals as part of the scheme.
Press Club representatives said they had collected complete evidence of the threats and abusive posts made online by Ali Rehman, a resident of Landi Kotal, and his alleged associates. Based on this material, they plan to file formal cases against those involved with the relevant authorities.
President Aman Ali Shinwari also called on Khyber DPO Waqar Ahmed to take legal action against the suspects for threatening a journalist and attempting to malign his reputation, stressing that journalists must be able to carry out investigative reporting without fear or intimidation.
