London, Oct. 18 (ANI): Pakistani media has expressed fear at Taliban threats to target journalists after critical coverage of the shooting of teenage education activist Malala Yousufzai.
The 14-year-old, who earned international fame for raising her voice against Taliban oppression in Swat, was shot in the neck and head and two other girls sustained injuries when the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) opened fire on their school van in Swat valley last Tuesday.
The TTP said it had shot her for "promoting secularism".
Pakistani media quoted Taliban sources as saying they were angered by the level of attention that the attempted murder had received and felt the coverage was 'biased'.
The All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) said Taliban threats directed at the media were aimed at curbing the freedom of the press.
Officials say the threats were uncovered in an intercepted phone call from a Pakistani Taliban leader.
In the call, intercepted by Pakistan's intelligence agencies, Hakeemullah Mehsud, chief of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), reportedly gave his subordinate "special directions" to attack the media in cities including Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi and the capital Islamabad, reports BBC News.
The Pakistan Press Foundation said the government has also alerted religious scholars who publicly denounced the shooting. It said the government was taking the TPP threat seriously.
Meanwhile, Malala was flown to the UK on Monday for specialist treatment at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. (ANI)
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