Even as police in Pakistan made several arrests in connection with the Taliban’s shooting of 14-year-old activist Malala Yousafzai, the terror group’s leaders on Saturday reiterated their intention to kill the schoolgirl and her father and also declared their plan to target the media for its coverage of the incident.
Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud has issued “special directions” to his subordinates in different cities of Pakistan to target media groups, BBC Urdu reported.
An interior ministry official said intelligence agencies had intercepted a phone conversation between Mehsud and a subordinate, in which the former was calling for attacks on media offices in Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad and other cities.
Following the threat, the interior ministry has issued orders to beef up security near the offices.
Following the attack on the activist, a group of 50 Islamic clerics in Pakistan has issued a fatwa against the Taliban gunmen who tried to kill her.
Malala, who was shot in the head on October 9, continued to be on ventilator at a top army hospital on Saturday. But, her vital organs were “intact and working”, the military said.