Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) A court in Pakistan has issued an arrest warrant for a prominent journalist over an article he wrote in May, stoking concerns about diminishing press freedoms following a military-led crackdown on the media during elections earlier this year.

In a statement Monday the Lahore High Court said Almeida had been summoned three times to appear before the bench but had failed to make an appearance. As a result, it was "left with no option" other than to issue a non-bailable arrest warrant.

The court also ordered Almeida's name to be placed on Pakistan's Exit Control List (ECL), preventing him from leaving the country.

In Almeida's May interview with Sharif, the former prime minister appeared to reinforce the claim that Pakistan was behind the 2008 Mumbai Attack due to the use of non-state actors, a claim made constantly by India but one which Pakistan's military and government has vehemently denied.

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