Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Pakistani journalist held over Facebook posts criticising security forces

A Pakistani reporter has been detained and charged under cyber crime laws for criticising security forces on social media, officials and his family said Friday (30), the latest sign of a state crackdown on free speech.

Zafarullah Achakzai, who works at Urdu daily Qudrat, was picked up from his house Sunday by the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC), the security force deployed in restive Balochistan province.


"FC personnel in uniform came in five vehicles and raided my house late Sunday (25) night. They cordoned the streets and asked for my son without mentioning any charge," Achakzai's father Naimatullah Achakzai, who is also chief editor of Qudrat, said.

"We did not know where they took him... After five days they handed him over to the FIA (Federal Investigation Agency), which charged him under cyber crime laws for criticising the FC," Achakzai said.

He said that Zafarullah appeared in court on Thursday (29) and was remanded into FIA custody for six more days as the investigation continues.

Two local government officials confirmed Zafarullah's arrest and charges.

"If my son had done anything wrong, he should have been arrested according to the law and not picked up in the middle of the night like an outlaw," Achakzai said.

The Balochistan Union of Journalists criticised the "illegal confinement".

Zafarullah had criticised the FC on his Facebook page for the deteriorating law and order situation in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, and for security forces' "failure" to bring the perpetrators of sectarian killings to justice, a colleague said, requesting anonymity.

"If his criticisms violated any law, he should have been arrested properly as he like every other citizen has right to due process," the colleague said.

Pakistan is ranked among the world's most dangerous countries for journalists, and reporting critical of the military is considered a major red flag, with journalists at times detained, beaten and even killed.

The country has also had a history of enforced disappearances over the past decade. In January five social media activists went missing for several weeks after taking a stand against religious intolerance and criticising the military, raising concerns of government involvement that were denied by officials.

Pakistan's parliament passed the cyber crime law last August, despite opposition from rights activists. Campaigners have long complained of creeping censorship in the name of protecting religion or preventing obscenity.

Human rights organisations said they feared more arrests.

"We are concerned at the authorities' zero-tolerance for critics on social media," the independent Freedom Network said in a statement, adding that Zafarullah's detainment was a "grim" sign that "more arrests will follow".

More For You

Covid inquiry begins probe into care home deaths

FILE PHOTO: A mother and daughter sit atop the Covid memorial wall on September 9, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

Covid inquiry begins probe into care home deaths

THE Covid inquiry has started examining how the pandemic affected care services for older and disabled people, with families describing the crisis as one of the worst failures of the pandemic.

Nearly 46,000 care home residents died with Covid in England and Wales between March 2020 and January 2022, with many deaths happening in the first weeks of the outbreak.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer and Glastonbury condemn anti-Israel chants by Bob Vylan

Keir Starmer speaks to members of the media during a visit to RAF Valley, on Anglesey in north-west Wales, on June 27, 2025. PAUL CURRIE/Pool via REUTERS

Starmer and Glastonbury condemn anti-Israel chants by Bob Vylan

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer and Glastonbury organisers said on Sunday (29) they were appalled by on-stage chanting against the Israeli military during a performance at the festival by Punk-rap duo Bob Vylan.

During their show on Saturday (28), the duo chanted "Death, death, to the IDF" in reference to the Israel Defense Forces, the formal name of the Israeli military.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pakistan floods

A flooded street near Station Road after heavy rainfall in Hyderabad, Pakistan, on June 27, 2025.

Getty

Pakistan reports 45 deaths from flash floods and rain in monsoon onset

AT LEAST 45 people have died in Pakistan over the past few days due to flash flooding and heavy rainfall since the beginning of the monsoon season, according to disaster management officials on Sunday.

The highest number of deaths was reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan. There, 21 people were killed, including 10 children.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK Weather Alert: June Heatwave to Hit 34°C, Breaking Records

The UK is bracing for potentially one of the hottest June days on record

iStock

UK set for one of the hottest June days with highs of 34°C

Key points

  • Temperatures may hit 34°C in Greater London and Bedfordshire
  • Amber alert in place across five regions due to health risks
  • Wimbledon’s opening day to be hottest on record
  • Risk of wildfires in London labelled “severe”
  • Scotland and Northern Ireland remain cooler

Hottest June day in years expected as second UK heatwave peaks

The UK is bracing for potentially one of the hottest June days on record, with temperatures expected to reach 34°C on Monday (30 June). The ongoing heatwave, now in its fourth day, is most intense across the South and East of England, particularly in Greater London and Bedfordshire.

Although there is a small chance of temperatures hitting 35°C, they are unlikely to surpass the all-time June record of 35.6°C set in 1976.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India flight crash
Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
Getty Images

Probing all angles in Air India crash, including sabotage: Minister

INDIA’s junior civil aviation minister said on Sunday that all possible angles, including sabotage, were being looked into as part of the investigation into the Air India crash.

All but one of the 242 people on board the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner were killed when it crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12. Authorities have identified 19 others who died on the ground. However, a police source told AFP after the crash that the death toll on the ground was 38.

Keep ReadingShow less