JournalismPakistan.com | Published October 20, 2012 | JP Staff Reporter
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PESHAWAR: For the third day running employees of media organizations housed in Badshah Tower are working from home following threats from the Taliban militants.
JournalismPakistan.com correspondent in Peshawar says security around the tower continues to be tight with police present there all the time.
Geo TV, Jang, The News, Nai Baat, Intermedia and Internews are some of the prominent organizations that operate out of the 10-storey tower in Super Market. Most shops, hotels and other businesses in and around the area have also closed down.
The closure of the media offices is said to be for an indefinite period.
A journalist wanting to stay anonymous said the tight security measures were creating problems for them. “If this is the situation now, I wonder what it would be like once a military operation is launched against the militants in North Waziristan.”
Another journalist of a local Urdu daily that has offices in the same building said their management was looking for a new office elsewhere. “We have to get out of this tower.”
The banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) warned last week they would attack media houses and journalists for criticizing them following the shooting of child education activist Malala Yousufzai by the Taliban.
Malala, shot in the head as she headed home from school on a bus, is currently undergoing treatment in Britain. Two other girls also got injured in the attack.
November 28, 2024: Senior journalist Matiullah Jan has been abducted in Islamabad while investigating PTI protest deaths. Rights lawyers have filed a habeas corpus petition as charges of drug possession and terrorism spark outrage.
May 26, 2022: PTI supporters attack Jang/Geo offices in Islamabad & other cities amid D-Chowk protests—DSNG vans damaged, stones hurled amid anti-media slogans. Political-media tensions escalate.
May 16, 2022: Journalist Zahid Abbas Malik disappears in Lahore amid suspected agency involvement. PFUJ, press clubs demand action as nationwide protests loom over Pakistan's press freedom crisis.
April 30, 2022: DawnNews anchor Adil Shahzeb faces death threats & harassment, allegedly from PTI leaders. Journalists rally behind him as #JournalismIsNotACrime trends. Details on the escalating media safety crisis.
April 17, 2022: PTI supporters harass journalists, including women reporters, at Imran Khan's Karachi rally. Samaa TV's Zam Zam Saeed shares footage of abuse—cameraman injured, shirts torn. Media outcry grows.
March 15, 2022: Haripur Press Club President Zakir Tanoli attacked by masked assailants—struck with knives and pistol butts after chili powder assault. Journalists demand immediate action.
February 16, 2022: FIA arrests journalist Mohsin Jamil Baig after Islamabad raid over alleged cybercrime violations. The incident followed Murad Saeed's complaint under PECA 2016. Details on the confrontation and charges.
February 15, 2022: ARY News host Iqrar ul Hassan was allegedly tortured by security officials in Karachi after exposing an IB inspector's corruption. Hospitalized in critical condition—details on the attack and media freedom concerns.
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.