Summary The book 'I am Malala' was to be launched on Tuesday at the University of Peshawar.
(Web Desk) - Chairman Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf (PTI) Imran Khan said that he did not understand why the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government had stopped the launch of Malala Yousafzai’s book on Tuesday.
“I am at a loss 2 understand why Malala s book launch stopped in Peshawar. PTI believes in freedom of speech/debate, not censorship of ideas,” he stated in a Twitter post.
A ceremony to launch teenage rights activist Malala Yousufzai s book at a university was scrapped on the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government s intervention on the grounds that it could not provide security for the event.
The book I am Malala was to be launched on Tuesday at the University of Peshawar.
The Bacha Khan Education Foundation (BKEF), Strengthening Participatory Organisation (SPO) and Area Study Centre had planned the ceremony.
"It (cancellation of the launch) is against the spirit of freedom of expression and promotion of education because holding a ceremony in honour of Malala Yousufzai means to scale up awareness about child rights," Dr Khadim Hussain, director of the BKEF was quoted as saying by the Dawn daily.
He said they had been informed by police late Monday that they could not provide security for the programme.
"I was stopped by many people, including ministers, the vice-chancellor, registrar and police, from holding the programme," Area Study Centre s director Sarfraz Khan said.
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which attacked Malala in 2012, had earlier warned shopkeepers in the region not to keep the book in their stores.
The report of the government stopping the book launch was criticized by many on various social media networks.
"Pathetic of gov to ban #Malala s book. This is censorship ! Where is our freedom of speech and expression?," Aseefa Bhutto Zardari tweeted.
Adil Ansari, the head of cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan s party s social media wing tweeted, "Launching of book I Am Malala was being organized at Pak Area Study Center,Peshawar University which is violation of rules & regulations".
The report quoting sources said the director was first contacted by provincial local government minister Inayatullah Khan, who belongs to Jamaat-e-Islami, and then by information minister Shah Farman of the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf () asking him to stop the book launch.
"But the director made it clear to them that the ASC was an autonomous centre which did not come under the jurisdiction of the provincial government. After that he was approached by the vice-chancellor and registrar and both of them called for stopping the ceremony," the report said.
Finally, the head of the Campus Peace Corps, which comes under the provincial police chief, "categorically" told the director that they were not in a position to provide security.
However, when contacted, Inayatullah Khan said: "I never spoke to anyone regarding the book launching programme."
Shah Farman was not available for comments, the report said.
