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Twenty-four different radio stations were prevented from broadcasting BBC Urdu bulletins on 27 April. According to the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) the 24 stations had neglected to seek permission to broadcast foreign content.
A British filmmaker is missing in Northern Waziristan, Asad Qureshi is one of the group of men who have vanished in the mountainous tribal region on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. On 26 March, two former ISI agents set off with Qureshi and another British filmmaker to conduct interviews with Taliban leaders. No other reports have surfaced regarding their whereabouts but a Pakistani army spokesperson has confirmed that they have not been detained by any intelligence agencies.
Two cases of voters having fingers amputated have been reported in Afghanistan following last weeks elections. Prior to voting, Taliban forces in the region had threatened to remove any fingers stained with the ink used to provide proof of having cast a ballot. Investigations are currently ongoing regarding a third case. The news comes amidst reports that security forces obstructed, assaulted, and detained Afghan and foreign journalists enforcing an official gag order on news of violent incidents during the presidential election. Read more here
The Taliban in Afghanistan has threatened to cut off voters’ fingers and attack polling stations in its bid to force Afghans to boycott the presidential elections. One of the so-called “night letters”, pinned up around villages in southern Afghanistan threatened that the Taliban would cut off the noses and ears of those who vote on Thursday. Fingers stained with ink, the sign of having cast a vote, will also be hacked off, the warning said. Read more here