An international organization that advocates for the rights of journalists has urged Pakistan to immediately release a reporter who was arrested for his coverage of this week's violent clash between minority Pashtuns and troops in a northwestern region near the Afghan border.

The Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based group, in Tuesday's statement says Gohar Wazir, a reporter working for the private TV station Khyber News, was detained in the town of Bannu after reporting on the demonstration of the Pashtun Protection Movement, a group campaigning against the perceived high-handedness by security forces.

The arrest came days after the group led by two lawmakers clashed with troops at an army post in the North Waziristan district, setting off a shootout that wounded five troops and killed three activists.