Journalist Imran Riaz Khan, who has more than three million subscribers on YouTube, was arrested on Tuesday on the outskirts of Islamabad in connection with a treason case. Khan had questioned the mighty Pakistan Army and its chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa. The arrest faced widespread condemnation from prominent politicians, journalists and activists, including the former PM Imran Khan who wrote, “The country is descending into fascism”.
In a tweet that concurred with Khan’s statement, Riaz said: “Yes it’s a fascist regime in Pakistan. Many of us r facing cases just because of our journalism. 20 cases on me. Where is democracy and freedom of speech.”
Riaz Khan has been a vocal critic of the Pakistani military’s role in the government and is facing charges of abetment of mutiny and criticism of the state institutions in nearly 17 cases.
The police said the arrest was made based on a complaint by one Malik Mureed Abbas under the Electronic Crimes Act and six other sections. According to the FIR, the complainant had seen a video in which the journalist was allegedly trying to maline the image of the state institution. In the video addressed to the Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Riaz Khan alleged that he was being threatened for questioning the role of the Pakistani military in the affairs of the country.
A few weeks ago, in a petition filed before the Islamabad High Court, Riaz made a plea to avoid arrest. The court had then directed the authorities concerned to stop arresting journalists but also directed the journalist to cooperate with the law enforcement agencies.
Following the news of his arrest, Twitter saw hashtags in favour of the journalist and people stormed Lahore’s Liberty Chowk as a mark of protest. PTI announced a nationwide protest against the arrest.
Riaz was also quoted in a video saying, “It makes no difference whether they imprison me or kill me or whatever they do… I think we should continue performing our duties… I am requesting all journalists to raise your voice and keep doing your jobs.”
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Fate of journalists in Pakistan
For Pakistani journalists, these arrests aren’t new. Several cases have been lodged against senior journalists and anchors such as Arshad Sharif and Mooed Pirzada for allegedly spreading hate against the Pakistani military.
In the past week, Pakistan has seen a string of killings and assault on journalists. While two journalists were killed by unidentified assailants in Sindh and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, prominent journalist and political analyst Ayaz Amir was assaulted in Lahore, a day after he delivered a speech in Islamabad questioning the present regime and the role of the military.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) had condemned the killings and called on the Pakistani authorities to safeguard press freedom.
While the Shehbaz Sharif government rejects charges of crackdown on the freedom of the press, the Pakistani police in recent days have launched criminal proceedings against journalists and talk show hosts critical of the military and the government.
In addition to this, Pakistan’s Electronic Media Regulation Authority (PEMRA), had recently warned digital news outlets and broadcasters against airing anything that was critical of the state institutions and threatened actions such as a fine or suspension of their licenses.
Pakistan ranks 145 out of 180 countries on the most recent World Press Freedom Index and is also identified as one of the most dangerous countries for journalists.