Dawn Newspaper reportedly in trouble over publishing controversial interview of Nawaz Sharif
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ISLAMABAD - The Press Council of Pakistan has served a notice to Dawn newspaper for what it called a violation of the ethical code of practice for its publishing of an interview with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, in which he spoke of Pakistan’s involvement in the Mumbai terror attacks.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, an independent NGO, expressed concern over the notice.
It urged the authorities not to interfere with the media’s right to report fairly.
In a statement posted on Twitter, the commission said it was concerned that the newspaper’s circulation had been subjected to seemingly arbitrary curbs.
The commission noted: “There is no evidence to suggest that Dawn has undermined Pakistan’s sovereignty or integrity... by publishing an interview with the former prime minister speaking on the record.”
The commission described such moves as harassment of the media. “Such curbs are tantamount to press harassment and only chip away further at the shrinking space for Freedom of Expression,” it said.
In the interview to Dawn, Sharif had questioned the policy of using Pakistan-based terrorists for cross-border attacks such as the assault on Mumbai.
