JK News Today
Jammu, May 04:
The US has expressed serious concern over the restrictions on press freedom in Pakistan and asserted Washington takes up these issues with Islamabad every now and then.
The US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken made these remarks on the world press freedom day . He made these critical observations about Pakistan where journalists have been kidnapped, murdered and tortured while performing their professional duties, while replying to a question of a Pakisatni journalist Jahanzaib Ali of ARY News.
ARY reporter based in Washington had asked: Pakistan remains among those countries in the world considered most dangerous place for the journalists. Last year, many Pakistani journalists were killed, kidnapped, and tortured for exposing crime and corruption and criticizing some of the government policies. Sir, has State Department ever take up this issue in bilateral talks with the Pakistani authorities?
Answering the question Secretary Blinken said,” The short answer is yes, we take this up in our engagements with Pakistani counterparts. Of course, this is also a feature of the annual Human Rights Reports that we put out, and, of course, we’re aware of significant restrictions on media outlets and civil society more broadly in Pakistan. Here again a vibrant free press, an informed citizenry are key for any nation and its future, including Pakistan, and I think these practices that we see undermine freedom of expression. They undermine peaceful assembly. They undermine Pakistan’s image as well as its ability to progress. So it is something that comes up both in our direct engagements and in the work that we’re doing every day.”
