Journalists for safe release of colleague

Sunday, August 14, 2011 - Peshawar—Khyber Union of Journalists (KhUJ) and Tribal Union of Journalists (TUJ) jointly condemned abducting of tribal journalist from North Waziristan Agency (NWA) Rahmatullah Darba Khel and demanded for his immediate and safe recovery. “We are being given threats on daily basis,” claimed president TUJ Safdar Dawar while addressing the journalists’ community at press club on Saturday. President Peshawar Press Club (PPC) Saif-ul-Islam Saifi, President KhUJ Arshad Aziz Malik, General Secretary TUJ Heran Mohmand and senior journalist Shamim Shahid expressed their anger over kidnapping of Rahmatullah from NWA some days ago.

Giving details of the incident made with the tribal journalist, Safdar Dawar said Rahmatullah was a good journalist who never became a biased and filed no such controversial stories which he added could cause his (Rahmat) abduction either by secret agencies or Taliban. The Taliban, he said denied Rahmat’s kidnapping and ensured the members of TUJ to strive for the safe and early recovery of the journalist if found in the agency. However, he regretted that the journalists hailing from Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) were being compelled to leave their agencies.

The tribal journalists’ president said Rahmatullah Darba Khel after finishing his work and came to main bazaar Miran Shah to buy something for Aftari meanwhile some people in two vehicles came near him and opened firing and after it, they abducted the journalist.