Dir Police accused of meddling in local Press Club affairs

DIR: The journalists on Tuesday accused the local police of involvement in the internal affairs of the Upper Dir Press Club and filing a first information report (FIR) against a senior colleague.

Syed Zahid Jan, the president and Muhammad Ismail, a press club member, are charged under 419 and 420, sections relating to willful deceit. The police conducted several raids on the house of Zahid Jan but could not arrest him as he has been out of the district in connection with illness of a family member for a week. The police have continued to harass his family.

The case is related to the spending of the Rs1.5 million as grant for the press club. The provincial Information Department, in its reply to a questionnaire sent to it by the police, said the grant has been transferred legally to the press club and deposited in its joint account. The said amount was spent with the approval of a committee formed to suggest projects and oversee the spending of funds.

Zahid Jan said a group of individuals, who are not even members of the press club, submitted an application to the additional assistant commissioner for inquiry into the use of funds. He said the case was baseless and some influential persons were trying to damage his reputation.

Zahid Jan has been affiliated with the profession for the last 18 years and is corresponded for one of the esteemed news organisations.The complainants in the case against Zahid Jan include Mehmood Idrees and Sirajuddin, who are schoolteachers and aren’t allowed under the law to do journalism. But the local police ignored this fact and registered the case and swung into action.