Bureau Report
NIGERIA: A senior tribal journalist and correspondent of The Daily Vendor Ashrafuddin Pirzada on Friday said that he was in constant threats by terrorists and unknown people to kill due to his news, social media posts and raising voice for his slain colleague Khalil Jibran Afridi who was brutally killed on June 8, last month.
Speaking at a press conference tribal journalist and human rights acivist Ashrafuddin Pirzada said that he was threatened by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan(TTP) fighters and unknown people that he was at their target list and whenever they found him would be killed. He said TTP wants to support their so-called Islamic Agenda and not to use terrorits word for them in his posts and news contents and not use word martyred for army soldiers and police killed by their fighters
He added that TTP in a letter threatened him to stop raising voice for his slain colleague Khalil Jibran Afridi in media posts and news published in different newspapers. He said terrorits had decided to kill him as he did not appear before them and do not want to be their mount piece. He said that after rejecting militants’ demands , his death was decided. He said TTP threatened him for dire consequences for using the word “terrorists” for them.
Pirzada said he was also threanted that in his news and social media posts, he supported Khalil Jibran Afiridi and projected him an innocent person and demanded justice for his death.
Pirzada said Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan(TTP) accused him that he was supporting Pakistani state and its army, which they(Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) consider a slave country and anti- Islam forces.
Ashrafuddin Pirzada received a tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan letter in which he was asked to write word “martyre” for TTP fighters and killed words for security forces and police in his news. He added that according to TTP, journalists in Khyber district were the Pakistan Army spokesman and should stop sycophancy towards the military.
Pirzada said TTP fighters follow him consistently and could not hide from them in Pakistan for a long time as they have their fighters in every corner of the country.
Pirzada said he went to police to register his complain to provide him protection, but the police were hesitating to register his FIR as militants also targeting police in Pakistan.
He said his children stopped going to schools due to the fear of militants as they also threanted that they woll also target his children.
Ashrafuddin Pirzada appealed to the law enforcement agencies and organizarions working for journalists’ protection to provide him and his family protection as their life is in danger from terrorists who are chasing them to kill.
It may beentioned here that in the past few months terrorists gunned down four persons in Landikotal including a former Landikotal press club president Khalil Jibran Afridi whose children were also at TTP hit list after they raised voice for their father’s brutal murder on June 8,2024
