Reporters Without Borders also known as Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF) took to Twitter to condemn the attack on Younas Khan, a journalist who questioned the chairperson of the Parliamentary Special Committee on Kashmir Shehryar Khan Afridi in France during an event.
RSF’s condemnation comes in relevance to Afridi’s leaked audio, where he was not happy with the organisers of the event during which Younas Khan questioned him whether he had any interactions with parliamentarians or Tink Tank when he was touring France.
RSF tweeted, “Pakistan: #RSF strongly supports Paris-based Pakistani journalist @younaskhan1977, who is now the target of death threats after he was thrashed and insulted by a famous Pakistani politician, @ShehryarAfridi1, recently visiting #France.”
“@younaskhan1977’s only wrongdoing was to ask a question that displeased @ShehryarAfridi1. In a leaked audio clip, the politician can be heard calling members of the Pakistani community in Europe to physically attack the journalist. These threats are unacceptable,” added RSF.
Afridi’s leaked audio revealed that he was unhappy and could be heard talking to the organisers that he came to the event at their request. “If I did not answer the questions there, people would have said that I was scared and ran away,” said Afridi.
“When the journalist was asking me questions, why did you [organisers] stay silent, why didn’t you ask him why this news was published?” Afridi questioned using explicit language.
Shehryar Afridi told the organisers of the ceremony that they did not miss the chance to demean him, adding, “As far as I am concerned, it would have been good, but it is a matter of Pakistan’s honour.”
“If you do not ask this journalist about the news, I will not spare you,” warned Afridi.
