Pak arrests 2 on corruption charges

Another local journalist, Ahmad Jan, was arrested at his home late on Saturday under the draconian Frontier Crimes Regulations introduced by the former British colonial administration to quell public opposition. The arrests are part of a crackdown on journalists after authorities in the tribal territory warned them to stop criticising public officials, newspapers said.

NWFP Information Secretary Syed Hassan Mehmood and the Tribal Union of Journalists have condemned the detentions. They have called on Pakistan’s military ruler General Pervez Musharraf, who seized power in October vowing to rid the country of rampant corruption, to intervene on behalf of the journalists.