CPJ interviews Pakistani magazine editor and publisher Shoaib Adil, who recently fled his home in the eastern city of Lahore and went into hiding with his wife and children.
The following is a 1 August 2014 CPJ Blog post by Sumit Galhotra, CPJ Asia Program Research Associate
Forty-nine year-old magazine editor and publisher Shoaib Adil fled his home in the eastern city of Lahore last month and went into hiding with his wife and children. Adil faces threats and possible charges of blasphemy–a crime punishable by life imprisonment or death–in connection with a book he published in 2007, written by a judge belonging to a religious minority group in Pakistan, as well as with his magazine, which covers sensitive issues. For years, Adil has been able to navigate the challenges that come with his critical journalistic work. But now he faces the possibility of being unable to live or work safely in Pakistan.
The interview has been translated from Urdu and edited for length and clarity.