( February 11, Baluchistan, Sri Lanka Guardian) In Pakistani province Baluchistan where there are threats to journalists in their field work, while to fill the gap of information in the province the trend of blogging is seemed to be increasing, bloggers hope they will succeed to carry an Arab spring like revolution in Baluchistan. Malik siraj Akbar a journalist and a blogger, due to alleged threats from secret agencies for the past years exiled in America and had to take refugees there for his safety, he says he misses his home very much.
“At the age of twenty two years I became the bureau chief of a national newspaper, I believed that I would have a bright future in Baluchistan, Baluch and Baluchistan was my original story which I had lost”
Though he was compelled to leave his home town but he didn’t give up his story.
The online newspaper which he used to run in Quetta owed to which he had to receive terrorization from Pakistani army and intelligence agencies is running it in the peaceful surrounding of Washington.
“Our newspaper The Baloch Haal; is not seem to be running so much which we expected and wanted, we wanted to publish news from Baluchistan but we couldn’t on Time, because our reporters have security problems in interior Baluchistan” Siraj Akbar said.
On the commands of Supreme Court of Pakistan, Pakistan telecommunication authority (PTA) had blocked more than 4000 websites and blogs, some of them are regarding Baluchistan emerging issues among them Malik Siraj’s The Baloch Haal is also integrated.
One of PTA official while talking to BBC cleared that PTA has no control over the content of websites.
He further stated, by following the instructions of foreign affairs committee they only impose restriction on foreign obscene and abusive websites answering to a question whether in foreign elements are some of Balochi sites are included? He added” foreign websites are chosen and counted; PTA doesn’t interfere with such elements”
Adoption on decision official said, committee for foreign affairs look after these all affairs which is headed by ministry of information technology where intelligence agencies representatives also sit and observe.
“Social media websites and blogs are considered the best procedure of expression in the world; here in Pakistan we find no fundamental rights of expression young siraj stated.
Bytes for all an Organization working for rights related to internet recently published a report about illegal detention of journalists, lawyers, students, extra judicial killings and violence in Baluchistan has increased, such events regularly happens in Baluchistan and media turns a deep ear. Recently some Baloch nationalist organizations boycotted the Urdu news channel in protest, claiming that Pakistani media is silent over the rotten situation in Baluchistan.
Aurangzeb khan an official of inter media a nongovernmental organization working for freedom of press said; whatever happening in Baluchistan Pakistani mainstream media doesn’t accurately reflect, news comes but neither the voices of local people appear nor studied deeply.
“Aurangzeb khan further illustrated, the journalism in Baluchistan is suffering from an anarchy period, and journalists have to cover such events which actually are not news, but they are forced to cover them under pressure”
In the previous year Aurangzeb khan prepared a report for inter media on” Media under threat in Baluchistan” identified three threats, the Army, militants and insurgents, due to these three pressure the real picture of Baluchistan has not come in media but the people of Baluchistan responsible ISI,MI,FC and army for rotten situation in Baluchistan.
In this setting the roles of bloggers become more important to bring Baluchistan’s news in media. Siraj believes the eye of world is on different blogs regarding the unfavorable conditions in Baluchistan.” The kidnapping of UN official for refugees’ john saluki was break by bloggers, messages to us were coming from USA and we kept on telling them about the latest situation.
Question is that whether can bloggers reflect the true pictures? Like Akbar all bloggers are not journalists, Malik Siraj Akbar declared “oversight and investigation” in America a great success and revolutionary step for bloggers. According to him the issue of which perhaps Punjabi are not award is being discussed in American ideological instutions. One way it’s an Arab spring for Baluchistan which whole credit goes to bloggers and websites holders who take risk and bring the truth into light.
Source BBC Urdu
Translated By Somalan Baloch
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