ISLAMABAD: Pakistani journalist Cyril Almeida, who created a furore with his October 6 report in the ‘Dawn’ on the “confrontation” between its civilian and Army leaderships over Pakistan-based terror groups striking in India and Afghanistan, has been barred from leaving the country.

Oxford-educated Almeida said on Tuesday his name had been placed on the “exit control list (ECL)”.

“I am told and have been informed and have been shown evidence that I am on the exit control list,” Almeida tweeted.

Sources told TOI that Almeida was to leave for Dubai on Tuesday morning with his family members on a long-planned holiday, but was informed late Monday that he wouldn’t be allowed to board the plane.

Quoting unnamed officials present at a security-related meeting of top civilian and military leaders, chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on October 3, Almeida had reported last Thursday that they witnessed a confrontation between Shahbaz Sharif, the PM’s younger brother and Punjab CM, and Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar, director general of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), over Pakistan‘s growing international isolation because of the military leadership’s behind-the-scenes support to certain banned terror groups. The report also quoted foreign secretary Aizaz Chaudhry saying there was a demand for action against Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the Haqqani network.

Dawn’s report , which hit headlines in India, surfaced amid heightened tension between India and Pakistan following New Delhi reporting cross-border surgical strikes by its special forces on September 29 in response to a deadly terror attack on the Indian Army’s brigade headquarters at Uri in J&K.

Pakistan’s military brass appeared very upset with the report and, sources claimed, prevailed over the Sharif government to rephrase its initial denial of the Dawn report which was perceived as too mild.

While the Sharif government complied, it issued a third and even more categorical rejection of the contents of the report on Monday, saying, “Prime Minister took serious notice of the violation and directed that those responsible should be identified for stern action.”

But, standing by Almeida’s story, Dawn’s editor Zaffar Abbas issued a statement on an official Facebook page in which he said the report had been “verified, cross-checked and fact-checked”.

“The elected government and state institutions should refrain from targeting the messenger, and scapegoating the country’s most respected newspaper in a malicious campaign,” the editor’s statement said.

The ban on Almeida’s movement drew sharp reactions from journalists and rights activists across Pakista
“Instead of issuing statements of condemnation, the government needs to come up with its own version of facts if it is convinced that the newspaper published a factually incorrect story,” said Fasihur Rehman Khan, an analyst.

In Almeida’s support, Dawn’s former editor Abbas Nasir sarcastically said, “HadCyril Almeida shredded the constitution, acquired properties abroad via offshore companies, he’d have been free to travel abroad.”

Ihsanullah Tipu, associated with the New York Times, said journalists should not be victimised in the name of national security or national interests. “Real journalism should be independent and impartial. A journalist is ethically bound not to reveal his or her source. Squashing journalists to reveal sources seriously undermines freedom of expression,” Tipu told TOI, adding, “It’s very heartening that entire journalists’ fraternity stands by Cyril. Barring Cyril from leaving the country has tarnished Pakistan’s military and civilian government more than the actual story. It’s stupidity at the highest level.”

Terming Almeida as a responsible journalist, Hasan Khan, editor of Urdu daily Akhbar-e-Khyber, said he knows how to hit the nail on the head. “The timing for pitching this story was the most suitable and Cyril did it boldly,” Khan said.