JournalismPakistan.com | Published October 05, 2017
Join our WhatsApp channel
NEW YORK - Authorities in Pakistan should drop charges against journalist Shabbir Siham, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday.
An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region summoned Siham for a hearing on October 7 on accusations of fabrication and extorting a regional minister in violation of Pakistan's Anti-Terrorism Act, according to news reports and Saeed Ahmed, the manager of the Islamabad-based Journalist Safety Hub, which provides support and training to at-risk journalists. Siham also faces charges of defamation under the Pakistan Penal Code, the reports said.
According to the news site Dawn, Gilgit-Baltistan regional authorities brought charges against Siham after he wrote an unflattering column about members of the regional legislative assembly.
Critics say Pakistan's Anti-Terrorism Act, which includes language defining terrorism as "creat[ing] a sense of fear or insecurity in society," is too sweeping and has broad potential for abuse.
"Shabbir Siham should not be punished for his reporting on issues of national interest, and he certainly has no business on trial in an anti-terrorism court," said Steven Butler, CPJ's Asia program coordinator, from Washington D.C. "Pakistani authorities should immediately drop the charges against him and stop trying to intimidate journalists into silence with excessive legal charges."
Siham's court notice, which a local judge signed on September 28, warned that the journalist could be tried in absentia, according to the document, which CPJ has viewed. If convicted, Siham could face up to 14 years in prison, Ahmed told CPJ.
CPJ was unable to locate contact information for Raja Shahbaz Khan, the local administrative judge who signed Siham's court summons. The Chief Court in Gilgit-Baltistan did not immediately respond to CPJ's emailed query.
Siham, who is based in Islamabad, told CPJ he wrote an article in November 2016 for the English-language Daily Times newspaper in which he said some members of the Pakistan Muslim League from Gilgit-Baltistan were involved with a gang in human trafficking and prostitution, though he did not name specific members. In response, the regional government registered a legal case accusing him of fabrication, according to Dawn.
After the article was published, the region's information director approached Siham in Islamabad and asked him to stop writing on the topic, while gang members from Gilgit-Baltistan showed up at his home and attempted to bribe him with money to stop writing about it, Siham said. They then threatened to kill the journalist when he refused their offers, he said.
Ahmed said that in January, the Gilgit-Baltistan government's home secretary commissioned a fact-finding committee. The committee requested that Siham go to Gilgit-Baltistan to meet with them, but the journalist declined due to safety concerns.
In March, the Gilgit-Baltistan government registered a case against Siham, and Islamabad police subsequently carried out raids on the journalist's home, according to Dawn. Consultations between the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists and federal and local governments in April led to the formation of a separate three-person fact-finding committee to arbitrate the Gilgit-Baltistan authorities' response to Siham's article, but the committee has made no progress, according to Dawn.
Siham typically covers crime, and previously worked on contract for the Daily Times. The journalist also writes for the Urdu-language Daily Jinnah newspaper.
Pakistani authorities have used anti-terror laws to target journalists before. In the Gilgit-Baltistan region, authorities charged two journalists under the anti-terror law last year; one was arrested and the other went into hiding, CPJ documented. – CPJ News Alert/Photo: Facebook/Shabbir Siham
April 11, 2025: Sindhi journalist AD Shar was brutally murdered in Khairpur, Sindh. His body was found dumped on Handiyari Link Road. PFUJ has declared a three-day mourning period and demanded justice.
April 10, 2025: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir government has filed a case against The Daily Jammu & Kashmir and its staff for alleged fake news, drawing condemnation from PFUJ and IFJ, who demand immediate withdrawal of the FIR and an end to media repression in Pakistan.
April 08, 2025: Journalist Arzoo Kazmi alleges that Pakistan's state agencies, including the FIA, have blocked her CNIC, passport, and bank account while threatening her. She calls it a direct attack on journalism.
April 07, 2025: The Islamabad High Court has directed IG Islamabad to produce journalist Ahmad Noorani’s missing brothers, as the Ministry of Defence denies custody. SIM activity was traced in Bahawalpur, and investigations into their suspected abduction continue.
April 07, 2025: Journalist and Raftar founder Farhan Mallick has been granted bail by a Karachi court in a case concerning anti-state content aired on his YouTube channel. He still faces separate charges related to an alleged illegal call center and data theft.
April 03, 2025: Veteran journalist Ghulam Abbas Shah has joined Discover Pakistan Television as the Head of Programming. With 25 years of experience in leading news organizations, he looks forward to contributing to quality storytelling and content.
April 02, 2025: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has strongly condemned the visit of a group of Pakistani journalists to Israel, calling it a violation of journalistic ethics and a betrayal of press freedom and human rights. PFUJ demands a transparent investigation into the matter.
March 30, 2025: Dawn criticizes Pakistan’s plan to use TV dramas against extremism, highlighting financial and digital challenges. Can media alone solve deep-rooted issues?
April 03, 2025 The International Press Institute (IPI) and International Media Support (IMS) invite nominations for the 2025 World Press Freedom Hero and Free Media Pioneer Awards. Recognizing courageous journalists and innovative media, the awards will be presented at IPI’s 75th-anniversary World Congress in Vienna. Submit your nominations by April 30, 2025.
April 01, 2025 Photojournalist Suresh Rajak was burned alive while covering a violent protest in Kathmandu. The IFJ and its affiliates condemn the attack and call for an urgent investigation to hold the perpetrators accountable.
April 01, 2025 Assam Police arrested digital journalist Dilwar Hussain Mozumder for covering a protest against alleged corruption at Assam Co-Operative Bank. Media organizations have condemned the arrest, calling it an attack on press freedom.
March 29, 2025 A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to dismantle Voice of America (VOA), ruling that the move likely violated legal procedures. The decision protects over 1,200 journalists and media staff.
March 28, 2025 Turkey deports BBC journalist Mark Lowen over 'public order' threat and fines opposition TV channels covering Istanbul Mayor's arrest. Critics condemn crackdown on press freedom amid rising political tensions.