Journalists barred entry into tribal areas
PESHAWAR- Following ban on the entry of the foreign journalists to the tribal territory, the government of Pakistan has also banned entry of local journalists to the area.
They said that the political administration stopped a number of Pakistani journalists from entering into the tribal territory at Takhta Baig cheek-post in the Khyber Agency saying the government had ordered not to allow any journalists, even the local, to the agency.
However, the NWFP Home and Tribal Affairs Department did not confirm the ban nor deny it. “We have not banned the entry of local journalists but have put some restrictions on their excess,” an official of the home department told this scribe.
“You are not allowed to go beyond this point,” this is what an Islamabad-based, journalist was ordered by a security guard.
The journalist said: “Like me a number of other journalists were barred from entering the Kyber agency.” He said the security people at the Takhta Baig check-post asked him to get permission and guards from the office of the political agent of the Khyber agency. “But when I visited the political agent I was told that the entry of local journalists have also been banned,” he said.
The government of Pakistan has earlier banned the entry of foreign journalists to the Afghan refugees following the influx of hundreds of foreign mediamen. It is pertinent to note here that soon after the terrorists attacks in America a bulk of foreign journalists thronged the Frontier province to get news of the frontline. The government first allowed the foreign journalists up to Torkhm, the last town at the Pak-Afghan border.
However, the foreign media exaggerated reporting led the government to rethink over its decision. When additional secretary of the Home and Tribal Affairs department was contacted on telephone he said it was unfortunate that the media people were taking undue advantage of the government lenient policies.
Source: The News
Date:9/27/2001
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