On January 15, journalists in Tank condemned the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, Dera Ismail Khan range, after media representatives were barred from covering the visit of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to Police Lines Tank. Press bodies said the restriction prevented reporters from carrying out their professional duties.

An emergency joint meeting was convened, bringing together the District Press Club Tank, Professional Journalists Association, Daman Press Club, Mehsud Press Club, Bettani Press Club, Social Media Press Club, Pakistan Journalists Association (PJA) and Professional Pakistan Journalists Association (PPJA). Participants reviewed the DIG’s directives and the conduct of police personnel deployed during the chief minister’s visit.

The meeting unanimously agreed to form a Joint All Press Clubs Journalists Action Committee to coordinate a collective response. Representatives passed a resolution condemning the DIG and his subordinate officers for imposing what speakers described as an “authoritarian and unconstitutional” restriction on media coverage.

Journalists addressing the meeting stated that the measures were a clear violation of press freedom. They said that even during periods of martial law, journalists were not subjected to such restrictions. The bodies announced a complete boycott of coverage related to the police department in protest.

Participants maintained that the restrictions followed previous reporting by Tank journalists concerning the DIG’s failure to attend funerals of martyred police personnel and his lack of engagement with bereaved families. They alleged that the ban was imposed through the DSP Headquarters as retaliation for that coverage.

The journalist community called for the immediate withdrawal of the restrictions. They warned that protests would escalate if press access continued to be curtailed.