Photo controversy: Court serves notices to newspapers, agency

The Baloch Hal News

QUETTA: An anti-terrorist court in Quetta has summoned a news agency and seven other newspapers of Quetta for publishing the photograph of an under trail activist of a banned religious group allegedly involved in sectarian target killings.

According to the details, Judge Najeeb Khan of anti-terrorist court One has taken strict notice of the publication of a photograph in some sections of the media of an under trail activist of a banned sectarian group.

Notices have been served to Online News Network, which released the photograph of Hafiz Usman, who was accused to have links with the banned outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and allegedly murdering at least 28 people, while being brought inside the court compound. The editors and news editors of at least seven Quetta-based newspapers have been asked to appear before the court on June 10 to explain their position.

Responding to a similar previous notice served to the newspapers, representatives of two newspapers turned up before the court the other day to clarify their position. One of them said that the photograph had been issued by a news agency and not taken by the official photographer of the newspaper. Therefore, the newspaper could not be held responsible for taking the photograph inside the court compound. This photograph appeared in so many other newspapers as it was released by a news agency which has hundreds and thousands of subscribers.

The representative of another newspaper admitted that the photograph should not have been published in the wake of prevailing security issues in the province.

The court has once again sent notices to the news agency and seven newspapers to appear on June 10.