Karachi: Pakistan’s Oldest English language paper founded by Quaid-I-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah was once the most sort after paper for Bureaucrats, diplomats, students who dream to improve their language fluency.
But after eight successful years of Dawn’s centerpiece the weekend editorial column has been in the news for its forthright comments on national politics and national security by the assistant editor Cyril Almeida, Mr. Almeida is now being silenced for being outspoken, NYtimes.com reports.
When exactly did this atrocity against the journalists, writers, editors that have been building up secretly in the dark, taken a stronghold in the society?
Almeida was one of the very few non-Muslims working in the media dominated by the religious right-wing ideologues.
When his column disappeared just 3 weeks ago, Almeida’s editor said he has gone for a well-deserved break but the truth of the matter is that his column only disappeared after Lahore’s HC had issued a non-bailable warrant against Almeida on charges related to treason for one of his article published in May.
Almeida was Pakistan’s brilliant voices and after continuously hounded for two years, is being silenced in the name of national security.
Almeida is not the only one who is being silenced in the name of security. He or other reports were never a threat to the nation.
Almeida is under persecution and recently when a TV reporter asked him whether media is free in Pakistan, Almeida looked straight ahead and kept walking quietly without commenting.
He was in the courtroom to attend the hearing of his treason charges.
The persecution of Cyril Almeida is now the center of a clampdown on Pakistani media unprecedented in scale and sophistication said British-Pakistani born writer Mohammed Hanif.
Hamid Mir, Pakistan’s most well-known journalist was shot six times in Karachi 4 years ago.
Similarly 7 years ago, Syed Saleem Shahzad, a reporter who had exposed suspected connections between the Pakistani Navy and terrorists was found dead in a canal.
All these murders of well-known journalists, reporters who have raised voice against the system are being silenced relevantly punished for speaking only the truth.