Toba Tek Singh-Kamalia Saddar police registered on Wednesday a case against an Urdu newspaper correspondent for allegedly blackmailing forest department officials, threatening on telephone and receiving extortion money of Rs50,000 after publishing defamatory news story in his newspaper.
A first information report registered under section 500 and 501 of Pakistan Penal Code and section 25-D of The Telegraph ACT 1885, said complainant a forest department block officer Khalid Hussain claimed that accused Javed Fareedi and his accomplices repeatedly demanded extortion money of Rs500,000 for restraining to publish a news story and although received from complainant Rs50,000 in presence of two other block officers Nasir Mahmood and Muhammad Yaseen, demanded more money and when he failed to fulfill his demand, he got published a fake corruption and timber theft story in his Urdu daily newspaper (Din) on October 10 in 2019.
He added that accused news reporter told complainant that actually his newspaper pays nothing to him as salary and he had to run his expenditures by this way. Complainant also added that accused and his other accomplices also published recently another news story in different news papers and also broadcast a fake video story on three private TV channels.
On the other hand, office-bearers of the organisations of journalists of the district met at Pirmahal with senior journalist Mian Asad Hafeez in chair where a resolution was passed condemning registration of alleged fake FIR against journalist Javed Fareedi.
They demanded of the district police officer to quash the FIR. Resolution added that corruption in forest department was a routine and it was rampant. It added that when newsmen brought to light corruption in the department, the corrupt mafia got a case registered against one of the news reporter.
They warned that if their demand was not accepted media persons will be forced to stage protest demonstrations against corrupt mafia of forest department in all cities of the district.