Journalist Ahmad Noorani raises questions over website blockage
Journalist and Vlogger Ahmad Noorani has raised question with the federal government over his website blockage.
Journalist and Vlogger Ahmad Noorani has raised questions with the federal government over his website Fact Focus blockage.
Ahmad Noorani’s website Fact Focus was blocked after the publication of an investigative story regarding the wealth records of the outgoing army chief’s family.
Noorani wrote on Twitter that Shumaisa Rehman published an investigative report titled Ferozewala Files based on the misdeclaration of tax details by the then prime minister Imran Khan but the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had not blocked the website.
He questioned why his website was blocked after he just started talking about the corruption of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N).
فیروزوالہ فائلز کےنام سے شمیسہ رحمٰن نے اس وقت کے وزیراعظم عمران خان کےٹیکس گوشواروں پرمبنی یہ والی تحقیقاتی خبرکی۔
پی ٹی آئی کی حکومت نےتو فیکٹ فوکس کی ویب سائیٹ کوبندنہیں کیاتھا۔
ن لیگ کی کرپشن کےبارےمیں تھوڑی سی بات کی تو ویب سائیٹ ہی بند ہو گئی۔https://t.co/ETBF9Q8N6m
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— Ahmad Noorani (@Ahmad_Noorani) November 21, 2022
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned the government’s move for blocking Noorani’s website. The global journalist organisation tweeted, “Unacceptable censorship in #Pakistan
: RSF strongly condemns the shutdown of @FactFocusFF’s website this morning after it published the #BajwaLeaks, an investigation by @Ahmad_Noorani about the recent self-enrichment of the Chief of the Army Staff’s family.”
Unacceptable censorship in #Pakistan
— RSF (@RSF_inter) November 21, 2022
Geo News anchorperson Shahzeb Khanzada also criticised the government and raised questions about the blocking of the website. He said that General Bajwa could have responded to the website’s story and file a case. He questioned whether the government sets a new trend of blocking the website.
To this, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that General Bajwa could have responded to the story while there was nothing wrong in the army chief’s tax declarations. He expressed suspicions over the time of the publication and said that there could be a nefarious design behind the publication for choosing a sensitive time.
The interior minister defended the government’s move for blocking the website.
جنرل باجوہ فیکٹ فوکس کی اسٹوری کا جواب دے دیتے، غلط ہے تو مقدمہ کردیتے۔ یہ کیا نئی روایت بنالی ہے کہ ویب سائٹ کو ہی بند کردیا؟ دیکھیے
— Shahzeb Khanzada (@shazbkhanzdaGEO) November 21, 2022
It is pertinent to mention here that Finance Minister Ishaq Dar ordered an inquiry to ascertain responsible who leaked the tax records of the outgoing army chief.
