KARACHI – The military did not seek action against the Dawn and its staffer, Cyril Almeida, who penned a report about an alleged conversation between senior civlian and military officials during the NSC meeting, Geo News reported.
“The military has never sought action against the newspaper and the journalist, it hasn’t asked for putting anybody on ECL,” Shahzeb Khanzada, anchorperson of Geo News, quoted the military sources as saying.
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According to unnamed sources, action was sought against those who leaked the highly sensitive information from a key meeting, instead of those who reported the issue. “There were reservations as to why the story was distorted,” they added.
The writer was put on Exit Control List after his report regarding purported deliberations in a meeting on the security issues stirred controversy.
Read More: APNS condemns putting Cyril Almaeda’s name on ECL
All Pakistan Newspaper Society (APNS) also condemned the Government’s decision to place Dawn’s Assistant Editor’s name in Exit Control List and demanded that the action be reversed immediately.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and Amnesty International also protested against the travel ban on Dawn’s assistance editor and demanded that the government immediately withdraw all restrictions on the Journalist.
“The travel ban on Cyril Almeida is a crude intimidation tactics designed to silence journalists and stop them from doing their jobs,” said Audrey Gaughran, Amnesty International’s Director of Global Issues.
As per details by Dawn, HRCP also asked for grievances to be addressed “in accordance with the law, due process and universally acknowledged freedoms of opinion and expression.”
