Tribal Union of Journalists (TUJ) President Khyal Zaman Afridi on Monday paid Rs 100,000 as a fine to a member of a rigid religious group for publishing a “baseless story” against him. A council of the religious group in the Bara area of Khyber Agency had imposed a fine of Rs 100,000 on Khyal. Syed Akbar Khan, a supporter of the rigid religious group, had lodged a complaint with the group in the Bara Qamber Khel area against Khyal, who is a correspondent of the Urdu daily Aaj. The complainant said that Khyal had published a “baseless story” against him which led to his arrest and that he could not be released on bail the next day.
Akbar said that he lost Rs 400,000 while he was in jail. Khyal said the local political administration had arrested some people including Akbar eight months ago. According to Khyal, the authorities told him that Akbar was arrested because of charges against him. Khyal said that he released the news, as it was not possible for him to contact Akbar in jail late night. He said that there were two people in Bara with the same name, and that it confused him. The religious groupÂ’s council asked Khyal to vacate his residence and leave the village, or pay Rs 100,000 to Akbar. The members of the council also warned journalists to be careful while reporting news regarding the groupÂ’s activities.