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The Print
09-07-2025
- Politics
- The Print
‘My only crime is reporting truth'—Pakistan bans 27 YouTube channels over ‘anti-state content'
'They've thrown in a few non-PTI names to make it look like a fair crackdown. But this is about silencing Imran Khan's supporters ahead of his son's rumored return and planned rally,' Kazmi told ThePrint. Among the banned channels are those of prominent journalists, including Matiullah Jan, Ahmad Noorani, Asad Ali Toor, and former television anchors Moeed Pirzada and Imran Riaz Khan. Also on the list are channels associated with supporters of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), signaling what critics describe as a broader effort to silence critical voices, according to Kazmi. New Delhi: An Islamabad court on Tuesday banned 27 YouTube channels for airing 'anti-state content' and spreading 'false, misleading and fake' information. Many of these accounts were also banned in India during Operation Sindoor. Arzoo Kazmi, the Pakistani journalist whose YouTube account was banned, called the action an effort to silence Imran Khan supporters. She, however, does not identify as an Imran supporter. Kazmi is well known in India and has often appeared on TV debates here. After Operation Sindoor, when India imposed a blanket ban on Pakistani social media accounts, Arzoo's YouTube channel was also banned. 'We have been targeted for being vocal against the military and the government. In my shows, I've said that Hafiz Saeed is under house arrest, but Imran Khan is behind bars. I have also condemned the arbitrary arrest of Baloch activist Mahrang Baloch,' she said. Pakistan's big brother move has this time taken independent journalists in its clutches. Rights groups and independent journalists are calling it an alarming escalation in Pakistan's crackdown on dissent. 'This is censorship, plain and simple,' senior journalist Matiullah Jan told ThePrint from Islamabad. 'My only crime is reporting the truth, reporting on unconstitutional interference by the military in our politics and judiciary. Now they want to shut me down.' Jan, based out of Islamabad, is a senior journalist and currently runs the YouTube channel 'Matiullah Jan MJtv'. Over the years, he has reportedly faced repeated harassment, threats, and enforced disappearances due to his critical reporting on the civil-military establishment. The request to block the channels came from the recently established National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), a body created under the Interior Division to monitor illegal activity on social media platforms. According to local reports, the inquiry by NCCIA's Cyber Crime Circle was initiated under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016, which pertains to unlawful online content. In January this year, Pakistan's parliament passed a Bill to amend the controversial Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016. The amendments grant the government sweeping powers to regulate social media. Penalties include up to three years in prison and a fine of up to PKR 20 lakh for spreading fake news. The law also prohibits sharing statements from banned organisations or their members, and broadens the definition of social media platforms to include any online information management systems. YouTube has since notified at least some of the affected channel owners. Jan confirmed receiving a legal notice from the platform informing him of the Islamabad court's directive. The message noted that if content creators did not take voluntary action, YouTube might remove the material in question under Pakistan's 'local law obligations', a claim that has raised eyebrows among digital rights advocates, given the platform's limited legal presence in the country. Digital censorship, history of harassment Jan described a long and harrowing pattern of state-sponsored intimidation. He said he has been abducted twice, including once in broad daylight in the capital. In one case, CCTV footage showed uniformed officers detaining him, but even Pakistan's Supreme Court failed to reach a conclusion after taking notice. Jan claims that successive governments, both civilian and military-backed, have systematically tried to silence him. In recent years, he said he's been fired from his television job at Waqt News TV in 2018, falsely charged with terrorism, and had his family members' bank accounts frozen. 'I have reported from the Supreme Court for decades. Now I am the target,' he said. 'My channel, MJtv, became my only source of income after losing my mainstream job. And now, even that is under attack.' Asad Ali Toor, another journalist whose YouTube channel was named in the court order, echoed Jan's concerns. He said the state has never formally informed him of any inquiry or charges. 'I've been condemned unheard,' he said. 'There's no transparency, no due process. I was not even given a chance to respond before the judge issued this order.' Toor has faced multiple arrests, beatings, and online smear campaigns over his reporting on military overreach and the suppression of marginalised communities. Earlier this year, he discovered that his own bank account, as well as his mother's pension account, had been frozen, without prior notice. In May, the Islamabad High Court ordered the bank accounts be restored, calling the government's actions a 'violation of due process.' The court noted that no investigation details had been shared with Toor, only vague references to 'anti-state' content and alleged financial crimes. Benazir Shah, a reporter with Geo News, recently published a series of posts on X, revealing how individuals loosely connected to Toor such as a man who sold him parrots also had their bank accounts blocked. In one case, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) allegedly demanded an affidavit from a production house owner stating that he did not share Toor's political views as a condition for unfreezing his account. Ahmad Noorani, an independent journalist who lives in exile, too, had a similar ordeal. His family was abducted earlier for his story on military nepotism in Pakistan. Noorani's story claimed that the relatives of Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir were being handed key federal positions due to their familial ties. His brothers were released after 33 days but are no longer 'functioning normally'. 'Our bank accounts are blocked. The state wants us to die of hunger and debt in order to suppress us,' Noorani told ThePrint. Also read: Pakistani Lion on the loose, rich owner watches—Lahore had one wild weekend A pattern of repression These are not isolated cases. Farhan Mallick, a media entrepreneur and former news director at Samaa TV, was arrested in March this year, on charges related to 'anti-state' content. He was granted bail in April, but not before enduring multiple legal cases and mounting criticism by civil and digital activists over his unjust arrest. Mallick maintains that his arrest was politically motivated. Others, like digital rights activist and co-founder of Bolo Bhi, a digital rights advocacy organisation, Fareiha Aziz, argue that the current wave of online censorship reflects a broader regional trend. 'So much is wrong with this order. YouTube doesn't even have a legal obligation in Pakistan like it does in India. So what are these 'local law obligations' it's referring to? This is about appeasement and censorship, not legality,' Aziz wrote on X. For journalists like Jan and Toor, the stakes are deeply personal. Despite repeated threats, legal harassment, and even physical violence, both say they will challenge the court's decision in court and continue reporting. 'This fight is bigger than us,' Jan said. 'It's about the future of press freedom in Pakistan. And we're not going to back down.' (Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)
Business Recorder
23-06-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Tauqeer Kazmi inducted into PAS
LAHORE: Alhamra Executive Director Syed Tauqeer Haider Kazmi has been inducted into the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS)—the highest tier of the country's civil bureaucracy. Kazmi secured this honour through competitive examination of the Federal Public Service Commission. From his roots in the Provincial Management Service (PMS) to this national recognition, Kazmi's journey is defined by dedication to public duty, respect for institutional values, and unshakable resolve. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Reuters
14-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Judge sanctions CFTC over agency's conduct in My Forex Funds case
May 14 (Reuters) - A federal judge in Camden, New Jersey has thrown out a Commodity Futures Trading Commission lawsuit against a U.S.-Canadian trading firm after finding that the U.S. agency acted in bad faith and made false statements, according to a docket entry on Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Edward Kiel dismissed the CFTC's 2023 case against Traders Global Group, also known as My Forex Funds, and awarded the company attorney fees as a sanction. Lawyers for the trading firm and its CEO Murtuza Kazmi said in a statement that the case should never have been brought. "Our clients are — and always have been — compliant with the law and innocent of the allegations and claims brought against them," the statement from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan and King & Spalding said. Acting CFTC Chairman Caroline Pham said in a statement that the agency's conduct was "inexcusable." "The CFTC must now accept accountability so that appropriate corrective action can finally be taken to address the conduct issues, and the CFTC can put this behind us and move forward to restore the agency's credibility and reputation," Pham said. Kiel's decision adopted a report and recommendations, opens new tab by a court-appointed special master. The report, which was unsealed on Tuesday, found the CFTC "acted willfully and in bad faith on several occasions" during the litigation. The CFTC had accused My Forex Funds and Kazmi of fraudulently booking at least $310 million in fees from thousands of customers. The agency said My Forex Funds illicitly transferred C$31.5 million to an unidentified account outside of the United States. As a result, another federal judge froze the assets of both Kazmi and My Forex Funds. But CFTC employees received an email before the case was filed from the Ontario Securities Commission confirming the C$31.5 million transfers were legitimate tax payments to Canadian authorities, according to special master Jose Linares, a retired federal judge. Despite possessing the email, the CFTC proceeded with the lawsuit and alleged that the C$31.5 million transfers were evidence that Kazmi "may — and is likely to — transfer or dissipate" his assets. The CFTC did not disclose the email until four months after bringing its case, in a footnote in a court filing, the report said. "At multiple points in time, the CFTC also had the opportunity to correct the false statements and impressions that had been made, yet it chose to go a different route in violation of its duty of candor to the Court," Linares said in his unsealed report. An unidentified CFTC attorney also admitted his conduct was "careless and sloppy," Linares said. (Additional reporting by Chris Prentice)
Time of India
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
1971 war was not remotely as terrifying as 6-odd hours on Thursday: Poonch locals
Poonch residents experienced intense Pakistani shelling, surpassing the fear of the 1971 war, causing widespread damage to homes, religious sites, and businesses. JAMMU: Poonch didn't sleep a wink past midnight. In the distance, the ominous thunder of relentless Pakistani bombardment from across the LoC seemed to portend a danger that even 1971 didn't pose. Around 2am Thursday, when the first of the fireballs coursing through the night sky hit home, district Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee president Narinder Singh's mind raced back to when he was eight. 'The 1971 War wasn't remotely as terrifying as what we experienced for six-odd hours till Thursday morning. Back then, my family and thousands of others remained in Poonch through the war without fear of coming in the line of fire. Operation Sindoor Operation Sindoor: 'India won't give face-saving exit to Pak army chief Asim Munir' IPL 2025: BCCI suspends IPL 2025 amid India-Pakistan tensions Fully intact, undetonated Chinese PL-15 missile found in Hoshiarpur This is different, which is why most residents have fled to safer places,' he said. At the first light of dawn, businessman Aijaz Kazmi, in his late 50s, picked up his car keys to leave for Jammu with his family. 'After a shell exploded in our neighbourhood, I prayed the entire night for our safety,' he said. As Kazmi drove through Poonch, the place looked different from the town he had grown up in. Almost all 17 wards bore the scars of shelling, which intermittently continued till around 11am. 'Shri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara, Geeta Bhavan and a madrassa housed within a mosque were damaged. Many shops and other commercial buildings were struck by mortar fire,'he said. The 16 casualties in Pakistani shelling across sectors in J&K included Amarjeet Singh, who would play the tabla during kirtan at Shri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara, and Amreek Singh, a ragi (kirtan singer) at another Sikh temple in Poonch. A maulvi, Maulana Mohammad Iqbal (46), died when a shell hit the Zia-ulUloom madrassa. Poonch opened temporary shelters for those displaced by overnight shelling, but they remained mostly empty until Thursday evening. Vishal Sharma of Poonch town noted, 'There's an exodus; no one knows what will happen next.' Jahangir Ali, whose parents survived the 1965 and 1971 wars, said, 'Even during past border clashes, we didn't fear for our safety. Now, we're directly attacked.' Kazmi said that Poonch needs bunkers due to the heightened LoC tensions and potential prolonged conflict.
Business Recorder
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Recorder
International tourists' team hails cultural richness
LAHORE: The Lahore Arts Council (Alhamra) played host to a vibrant delegation of international tourists from France, Turkiye, Belarus, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, and several other countries this week, in a celebration of cross-cultural connection through art and heritage. The visit marked a significant moment in Pakistan's cultural diplomacy efforts as Executive Director Tauqeer Haider Kazmi welcomed the guests and led them on a guided tour of Alhamra's facilities. Kazmi described the occasion as a reflection of Alhamra's mission to safeguard and promote Pakistan's artistic legacy while fostering global cultural dialogue. 'Our aim is to preserve the richness of Pakistani arts while building bridges of understanding through creative exchange,' Kazmi said during the tour. 'Art speaks a universal language - and here, it brings people together.' The delegation visited the Alhamra Art Gallery, where they viewed a contemporary exhibition centered on themes of heritage, sustainability, and innovation. They also spent time at the Alhamra Academy of Performing Arts, observing live music, dance, and drama classes, and engaging with students and instructors. Visitors expressed admiration for the academy's work in preserving classical traditions while nurturing new artistic talent. Moved by their experience, the guests described Pakistan as 'a land of immeasurable cultural richness and extraordinary human warmth,' praising the hospitality they received and calling the country 'a treasure trove of tradition, creativity, and heart.' The visit culminated in a special evening performance at Alhamra Hall No 2, where members of the international delegation took to the stage to share music, dance, and songs from their respective cultures. A local audience of art lovers and families responded with enthusiastic applause, celebrating the harmony and shared spirit of the event. 'Today's gathering reminds us that art knows no borders,' Kazmi said at the close of the event. 'Alhamra is proud to be a space where cultures converge, and creativity flourishes.' The delegation's visit concluded on a note of unity and mutual appreciation, reaffirming Alhamra's role as both a guardian of Pakistani culture and a welcoming home for international artistic exchange. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
