QUETTA: Newspapers were not distributed in the city and other parts of the province on Tuesday as hawkers and agents refrained from delivering them due to threats hurled by banned militant organisations.

The organisations are demanding the media publish statements about their activities and have threatened to stop distribution of newspapers in any area of the province.

Furthermore, a leader of the Anjuman-i-Akhbar Froshan, Yousaf Baloch, has asked newspaper owners not to send copies of their dailies from Wednesday onwards to the market as hawkers will not deliver them to their clients in view of the looming threats.

Banned militant organisations urging media to publish statements about their activities

Though newspapers were published in Quetta and were even sent to the market on Tuesday, majority of hawkers and agents did not deliver the editions in the city.

However, a few hawkers dared to deliver them in some areas.

Besides, transporters also refused to take newspaper bundles to other towns and cities in central, southern and western parts of Balochistan.

The Anjuman-i-Akhbar Froshan leader has also asked the media houses of other provinces to stop sending newspapers, while agents have also requested media owners of other provinces not to send newspapers.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Inspector General of Quetta has asked the media houses’ owners and editors to publish their editions which he assured would be delivered amid tight security.

However, media houses are in a fix whether to publish their editions.

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2017