January 2018
Jan 04: Federal Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Maryam Aurangzeb informs Senate Sub-Committee on Information and Broadcasting that her government decided to scrap previous two draft bills on journalists’ protection and welfare and expressed hope new draft law will be security-focused.
Jan 06: Reporter Shaha Khalid Hamdani of 92 News channel while doing weather story from Zeropint bridge was stopped by police official from live media coverage. The police official snatched his mic but handed him over back. The issue was taken up with senior police official of Islamabad and the official who interrupted the journalist was suspended.
Jan 10: Journalist Taha Siddiqui escapes attempt to abduct him while he was on his way to Islamabad Airport when 10-12 armed men stopped his car. The abductors took away his laptop, mobile phone and external hard disk.
Jan 17: Sohail Shahzad, a senior photojournalist with Daily 92 News, was robbed of his camera, cell phones and other equipment at gunpoint by unidentified robbers. The incident occurred in the Shamsabad neighborhood in Islamabad just when Shahzad arrived at the main door of his house from work.
Jan 18: Tribal Journalist Ali Shinwari, working for Dunya News channel, brother is reported abducted in Landikotal town in Khyber tribal district bordering Peshawar by unidentified person. https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/269920-journalist-s-brother-kidnapped
Jan 19: Pakistan shuts down Radio Mashaal operations alleging the Prague-based radio station is “involved in anti-Pakistan” activities. https://www.dawn.com/news/1383957
Jan 19: Banned Baloch militant group Baloch Liberation Front withdraws media boycott in Balochistan which it announced in October 2017 leading to closure of several press clubs in Baloch dominated areas of the province and few small attacks on press clubs and newspaper distribution offices.
Jan 19: A media report says Pakistan “destroys” ‘Umar FM Station’ tower along its border with Afghanistan to stop “anti-Pakistan propaganda”. https://www.dawn.com/news/1383936/pak-security-forces-destroy-radio-tower-along-pak-afghan-border-to-stop-hostile-propaganda
Jan 22: Former Express Tribune reporter Fawad Hasan was briefly detained by people in plain cloths after he attended a condolence meeting on late Dr Hasan Zafar Arif in Karachi. https://www.thenews.com.pk/amp/271738-journalist-detained-at-ku-for-an-hour?__twitter_impression=true
Jan 24: Journalist Ahmed Noorani refuses to “apologize” to the Supreme Court over his investigative story six months back. https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/272622-apologising-without-wrongdoing-to-set-negative-precedent-noorani
Jan 29: Senate Committee on Information and Broadcasting finalizes its bill on journalists’ protection and shares with the federal government. https://epaper.dawn.com/DetailNews.php?StoryText=30_01_2018_004_003