The US-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)...

The US-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to investigate whether the death sentence given to Rahmad Shah Afridi, the owner and chief editor of a Pakistan daily on charges of drug trafficking was politically motivated.The special anti-narcotics court in Lahore awarded death sentence to Afridi, owner and chief editor of "The Frontier Post" and Urdu daily "Maidan" on drug charges on June 27."We believe the widespread perception among Pakistani journalists that his prosecution is politically motivated and unjust, merits serious attention," the organisation dedicated defence of press freedom said."Ignoring these doubts would likely lead to greater self-censorship on the part of the local media, thereby further eroding press freedom conditions. Journalists must be free to publish critical reports on all government agencies, including the Anti-Narcotics Force, without fear of reprisal," the CPJ said.