Mannan Samad

⚖️ A married woman does not need her husband’s permission to run a lawful business. The real gap is enforcement—and protection when economic independence is met with abuse. By Mannan Samad thefridaytimes.com/28-Oct-20… #EconomicAutonomy #WomensRights

Today, the NCCIA served me a notice under Section 160 of the CrPC, ordering me to appear at its Karachi office on 16 October and to bring "all relevant digital devices." The allegation against me, in full: "posting/sharing of Anti-State content on social media platforms." That is all I have been told. The notice does not identify a single post. It does not name a complainant. It discloses no evidence. Yet it directs me to produce evidence "in support of my defense" against unspecified accusations. The superior courts have repeatedly cautioned the NCCIA against exactly this. Anyone summoned over an allegation is entitled to the details of the complaint and the actual incriminating evidence against them, so they know what they are accused of. Vague notices summoning citizens cannot be issued. This notice violates that settled principle, and I object to it. I am a journalist. I report on human rights in Pakistan, which very often means reporting on the abuse of state power. "Anti-state" is not an offence this notice even attempts to define, and journalism is not a cyber crime. A summons that names no offence but demands a reporter's devices is not an inquiry. It is a warning, to me and to every journalist watching.

Why should the poor carry the burden of the conflict? 1. Jhal Magsi is among Pakistan’s most vulnerable districts according to the District Vulnerability Index for Pakistan (DVIP), with vulnerability shaped by housing, infrastructure and climate risks.