Rehmat Shah Afridi

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Rehmat Shah Afridi
Born1955
North-West Frontier Province, (present day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Pakistan
Died (aged 65)
peshawer, pakistan
OccupationJournalist
Known forBeing the founder of The Frontier Post
Children6

Rehmat Shah Afridi (1955 – 9 December 2023) was a Pakistani journalist. He was a senior journalist and the founder of The Frontier Post, an English language daily newspaper in Pakistan.

Career[edit]

Afridi established The Frontier Post in 1985, which is recognized for its independent journalism and coverage of important events in Pakistan and the region. Afridi faced many risks, including a death sentence,[1] but succeeded in creating influence on Pakistani journalism. The newspaper is distinguished as the first, and potentially the only, national English newspaper originating from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and it has gained both national and international acclaim.[2]

Works[edit]

Afridi reportedly wrote a book called Black Sheep, which allegedly exposed corrupt people in Pakistan. He did not publish the book to protect his children from possible harm.[3]

Legal issues[edit]

Afridi faced legal challenges when he was sentenced to death in June 2000 on drug charges, later commuted to life imprisonment by the Lahore High Court, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court. In May 2008 he was released on parole.[4][5][6]

Personal life and death[edit]

Rahmat Shah Afridi was a father of six. He died on 9 December 2023, at the age of 74.[7]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Editor's death sentence commuted". 3 June 2004. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  2. ^ "رحمت شاہ آفریدی کا قصہ ابھی تمام نہیں ہوا" [Rahmat Shah Afridi's story is not over yet]. BBC News اردو. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  3. ^ "BBCUrdu.com | پاکستان | رحمت شاہ آفریدی رہا ہو گئے". www.bbc.com. Archived from the original on 13 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  4. ^ "BBCUrdu.com | پاکستان | رحمت شاہ آفریدی رہا ہو گئے" [Rehmat Shah Afridi was released]. www.bbc.com. Archived from the original on 13 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  5. ^ "Rehmat Shah Afridi freed on parole". 25 May 2008. Archived from the original on 13 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  6. ^ "Frontier Post editor freed after nine years in prison on trumped-up drugs charges | RSF". 27 May 2008. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  7. ^ Shah, Waseem Ahmad (11 December 2023). "Frontier Post founder Rehmat Shah Afridi laid to rest". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.