The paramilitary Frontier Corps in FATA, Pakistan, raided the house of local correspondent Rahat Shinwari, and detained him. He was eventually released after a protest by local journalists and members of the Press Club.
This statement was originally published on pakistanpressfoundation.org on 12 October 2015.
On 10 October 2015, the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) raided the house of Rahat Shinwari, a correspondent of the Urdu daily Ausaf, and took him with them. The incident occurred in Landi Kotal, a town in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan.
They blindfolded and handcuffed the journalist and took him to an unknown place. Shinwari’s family members told the media that they were not given any reason by the FC for the arrest.
Talking to Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) local journalists said Shinwari used to write stories about corruption involving the FC and smuggling in the region and he was also active on social media.
Local journalists and members of the Landi Kotal Press Club organized a protest demonstration on 11 October. They demanded to know his the correspondent’s whereabouts and the reason for his detention. They also organized a protest rally in which a large number of political workers participated. They gave 24 hours to the FC to release him and announced their intent to arrange another protest in front of the FC headquarters, the Governor’s House and the office of the Corps Commander.
A few months prior to this, the FC had arrested (and later released) another local senior journalist, Sudhir Ahmad Afridi, in a similar manner.
Three hours after the protest demonstration the FC released Shinwari in the city of Peshawar, instead of Landi Kotal.
