Afghan journalists in Pakistan complain extortion

ISLAMABAD (Pajhwok): Some Afghan journalists in Pakistan have complained against extortion by police and said on Sunday when they had a gathering on the outskirts of Islamabad, the central capital of Pakistan, police extorted them.

Syed Esa, one of the Afghan journalists, said: “We were extorted by Pakistani police on Sunday when we wanted to go to Daman-i-Koh in G-9-4.”

He added: “We were 30 people split in four groups when we wanted to go to Daman-i-Koh police stopped our vehicles and demanded to Passports and visas. We showed our cards provided to us by the Pakistan-Afghanistan International Journalists Association but still police demand money from us.”

He said that police ignored their cards and said it were of no importance to them anymore.

“Police did not let us go until they took money from us. We paid 5,000 rupees and manage to go,” he said.

Shah Rukh Tahiri, another journalist, said that Afghan journalists in Pakistan were facing immense problems.

The curbs imposed by Pakistani police on Afghan journalists had made their life difficult in Pakistan.

“The unknown future of journalist, none-extension of their visas, economic and financial problems, mental and physical stress were some of the issue journalist were suffering at the moment in Pakistan,” he said.

Mehnaz Maharyar, a journalist who headed a radio and worked as an independent journalist in the past, said: “Over the past one year I have been in Iran and here I work at silk weaving company in Asfahan City.”

She said her work was difficult and sometimes she faced problems by police as well.

“The time of my visa is over now and I have to pay fine for its extension but I don’t have the financial strength to pay. This is now a big issue for me and my family.”

The Afghanistan Pakistan International Journalists Association expressed concern over the incidents and asked international community to facilitate Afghan journalists in Pakistan.

The Association also asked Pakistani authorities address the visa issue of Afghan journalists and provide them more facilities.

This comes that Afghan government often said that security situation had been improved in the country and journalist who went abroad could come back to the country.

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