Comments on Geo petitions
SHC gives govt attorney last chance till 27th
KARACHI: Sindh High Court has given a last chance to the federal government’s law officer for filing comments on identical petitions filed by Independent Media Corporation and Bird (Pvt) against the ban on transmission of Geo TV channels, observing that the court would pass appropriate order on the next date if its direction was not complied with.
Independent Media Corporation and Bird (Pvt) have challenged the ban on transmission of Geo News, Geo Entertainment, Geo Super and AAG TV channels by the government.
The petitioners, who hold landing rights of satellite TV channels Geo News, Geo Entertainment, Geo Super and AAG in Pakistan, submitted that after the imposition of emergency rule on November 3 at about 5.30 to 6.00pm, all private satellite TV news channels were off-aired/proscribed by Pemra throughout the country.
As the mater was taken by SHC’s division bench comprising Justice Munib Ahmed Khan and Justice Abdul Rehman Farooq Pirzada, Deputy-Attorney General Rizwan Siddiqui sought further time to file comments on behalf of federal government as he did not receive the same from the authorities concerned.
Opposing the DAG’s request, petitioners’ counsel Mohammad Ali Mazhar said that DAG had also sought time on previous hearing but he failed to file the comments.
He argued that the government promulgated five ordinances regarding media, which are Pemra Ordinance-2002, Pemra Amendments Ordinance-2007, PEMRA Rules-2002, Cable TV Regulation-2002 and its code of conduct (2002), and if anyone violates such laws it could face three years imprisonment with fine of Rs.10 million.
He said procedures have been prescribed in abovementioned laws regarding action against TV channels, but the government banned the transmission of petitioners’ TV channels without adopting such rules and regulations.
The counsel contended that Geo TV network has been following all the relevant laws and it is willing to comply with these laws.
DAG informed that UAE government recently cancelled the Geo TV licence and the transmission of petitioners’ channels would not be possible even if government allows petitioners to air its transmission in the country.
He submitted that PEMRA had issued advertisement licences to the petitioners, which have been cancelled now.
Petitioners’ counsel vehemently rejected the submission of federal attorney, saying that licences were not only related to advertisements but also landing rights and the same were issued for five years and which are still valid.
Mohammad Ali Mazhar submitted that UAE government has temporarily suspended the Geo News transmission while the transmission of Geo Entertainment, AAG TV and Geo Super are continuing and the same could be viewed through dish antenna. He added that PEMRA licences had nothing to do with UAE government licenses issued to petitioners.
He argued that the transmission of 21 channels has been restored by the PEMRA but Geo TV Network and its channels are still under suspension/banned, which is unjustified, unlawful and highly discriminatory act.
He submitted that more than 4,500 employees are working in petitioners’ organizations and due to the ban on Geo TV transmission payment of their salaries would be difficult. He said on one hand government claims providing employment to people and on other hand it has put the jobs of thousands of people at stake.
The counsel said that the closure of Geo TV channels has not only created concern among the employees but also politicians and civil society, adding that recently US envoy and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto also visited Geo TV offices in Karachi.
The DAG submitted that media has taken undue advantage of its freedom and one newspaper of the petitioner had published news regarding his (DAG’s) arrest by the police and such news item disturbed him and his family members.
Petitioners’ counsel submitted that due to personal dispute DAG has not taken the petitions seriously and did not prepare for the arguments, while he was to be ready to argue on the petitions.
On court query as to whether any written order has been passed regarding ban on transmission of petitioners TV channels, Mohammad Ali Mazhar said petitioners have not been issued any such order.
The court observed that federal attorney should have prepared for the arguments as previously time had been granted to him.
DAG submitted that he was examining different documents regarding petitioners’ petitions and if they were found clear the transmission of petitioners’ TV channels would be restored. He said petitioners’ companies are based in Dubai.
He said federal government believes in freedom of press and do not want to close any TV channel, adding that the government also kept facing criticism.
Mohammad Ali Mazhar said that PEMRA had issued landing rights to petitioners and such licences are still valid.
SHC’s division bench comprising Justice Munib Ahmed Khan and Justice Abdur Rehman Farooq Pirzada, giving last chance to federal government’s law office, directed him to file comments on petitions and observed that the court would pass appropriate order if direction was not complied with.
The next hearing of the case has been fixed as November 27 when the court will hear the main petitions along with stay application of petitioners seeking lifting of ban on Geo TV channels’ transmission.
The court was prayed in petitions to declare the suspension/proscription or ban on satellite TV channels as unlawful and without any lawful authority and even against the provisions of PEMRA Third Amendment Ordinance-2007 and direct the respondents to immediately lift the ban/suspension or proscription of petitioners’ TV channels - Geo News, Geo Entertainment, Geo Super and AAG.
The petitioners also prayed the court to direct PEMRA to issue necessary instructions/directions to all cable TV operators throughout the country to immediately on-air/restore the transmission of Geo News, Geo Entertainment, Geo Super and AAG on their cable TV networks without any interruption or interference and till the disposal of petitions direct the respondents to restore the transmission of TV channels.
A large number of Geo TV employees had gathered outside the Sindh High Court gate as police and law enforcement agencies did not allow them to enter into the premises of SHC building. President Geo TV Network Imran Aslam, famous TV show Pachas Minute host Abdul Rauf, Aik Din Geo Kay Sath anchor Sohail Wariach and Jawabdeh’s host Iftikhar Ahmed were also present in the court.
Police action condemned all around
KARACHI: The civil society coalition People’s Resistance has condemned, in the strongest terms, the brutal police lathi charge on unarmed journalists outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC) and their arrests.
The People’s Resistance, in a press release, saluted those who subsequently peacefully offered arrest in solidarity with their arrested colleagues and in protest against the police refusal to let the journalists take out a peaceful procession to the Governor House.
People’s Resistance called upon all professional groups, NGOs, trade unions, student unions and individuals to join the platform of resistance in its peaceful campaigns for the restoration of the Constitution of Pakistan and basic rights, and the independence of the judiciary and media.
MQM: The founder and leader of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Altaf Hussain, has condemned the brutal baton-charge by the police on journalists on Tuesday at the Karachi Press Club (KPC).
In a statement, Altaf condemned the attack and demanded of the government to immediately release all the arrested journalists. He also demanded an enquiry into the incident.
HRCP: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) strongly condemned the police brutality on a peaceful demonstration of the journalists protesting against the restrictions on the media at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Tuesday.
In a statement issued, the HRCP stated that the Sindh government and all other provincial authorities must be held responsible for the brutal police action against journalists.
“HRCP would like to remind the government that its threatening attitude towards the media goes against all principles of freedom of expression and freedom of press and all international charters of human rights,” said a press statement.
PWFP: As journalists protested against the arrest of their colleagues and curbs on the media outside the Karachi Press Club on Tuesday, members of the press were unable to attend the urgently called press conference by Pakistan Women’s Foundation for Peace (PWFP) to condemn the country’s prevailing situation.
“By suppressing the media, the government is suppressing our right to speak,” said Nargis Rahman, President, PWFP, in protest against the manhandling of journalists by the police.
Released journalists call for larger protest today
KARACHI: After being released, journalists raised slogans for the freedom of press and reached Karachi Press Club in the form of a procession where their fellow journalists welcomed them.
On the occasion, Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ) President Shamim-ur-Rahman announced another big protest on Wednesday asking for journalists to turn up in greater numbers and convey the message to the authorities concerned that media people would not surrender to guns and police savagery and would stand by their principled stand that media could not be gagged through brute force, he said.
Later, all the freed journalists marched towards Geo offices, where the management garlanded all journalists released and gave them a warm welcome. The management also announced holding a function in honour of all the journalists who were struggling for the freedom of the press.
‘Unity will set us free’
Journalists come together at Clifton Police Station
KARACHI: The Clifton Police Station resembled the grounds of the Karachi Press Club (KPC) last night with journalists present all around the police station’s premises waiting for the return of five of their colleagues who had been charged separately under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO).
Ghulam Mustafa (Geo News), A.H. Khanzada (Dawn News), Moosa Kaleem (Herald), Omer Asghar (Daily Express) and Najib Peji (Daily Jang), were separated from over 180 journalists who were picked up from the KPC after protesting against the curbs that have been placed on the media since the imposition of emergency.
They had cases slapped on them and were to be sent to Karachi Central Jail.
Meanwhile, the release order for the detained journalists (sans the five aforementioned ones) came through from the Governor’s House.
However, in a show of strength, journalists at all police stations refused to leave without their five colleagues. A sizable crowd gathered at the Clifton Police Station where the ones who had been arrested were to return.
“We won’t leave the police station till we see them,” said all those present. With the passage of time, the number of journalists at the Clifton Police Station started increasing. Originally, only 33 journalists were held in there; but, by the time the ones who had charged under the MPO started arriving, the crowd waiting to give them a welcome had swelled close to a hundred.
A huge cheer went up as they started arriving one by one. It was a hero’s welcome. Cries of “Hum Chheen Ke Lein Ge Azadi!” rang out in the night as police men walked on.
“They wanted to isolate us,” said Ghulam Mustafa on his release. “I don’t think they would have let us go if the rest of the journalists had not refused to leave unless we were released.”
Others at the rally agreed with him.
“Unity is the only thing that we’ve got,” said a journalist who had turned up to support his colleagues, even though he hadn’t been arrested. Others present agreed that by the brutal baton charging of journalists at the KPC and the arresting of about 180 protesting journalists (the official figure given by authorities was 125), the government had added fuel to the fire. First it was broadcast journalists fighting for their rights, now print journalists have joined them.
Quetta journalists stage sit-in
QUETTA: The journalists of print and electronic media took out a protest rally and staged a sit-in in the provincial metropolis on Tuesday against the curbs on media, the Pemra Ordinance, shutting down of Geo TV and the other private channel.
Organised under the aegis of the Balochistan Union of Journalists (BUJ) and the Quetta Press Club (QPC), a large number of media persons participated in the procession.
Holding placards, the participants chanted slogans against the anti-media measures of the government. They demanded freedom of expression and withdrawal of the Pemra Ordinance, the so-called Code of Conduct, and lifting of the ban on TV channels.
When media persons tried to proceed to the provincial office of Pemra from the Quetta Press Club to record their protest, they were prevented from doing so. The main gate of the compound of the city district government, where the QPC is temporarily housed, was closed for the protesters to pass through. Afterwards, they staged a sit-in there.
Addressing the media persons, Secretary General of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) Saleem Shahid said the ban on media and closure of broadcasts of Geo TV and the other channel was a violation of the basic human rights and was tantamount to snatching the freedom of expression.
He demanded the withdrawal of the Pemra Ordinance immediately and lifting the ban on the media.
Police baton-charge journalists rally in Karachi
180 media persons arrested, freed
KARACHI: Police on Tuesday baton-charged a rally of journalists to prevent them from reaching the Governor House to protest against curbs on the media.
The brute use of force by the police led to the arrest of 180 journalists, including women, many of whom courted arrest outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC). The rally was organised by the Karachi Union of Journalists as part of the ongoing countrywide protests called by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) against the curbs on the media and the ban on Geo and ARYone world TV channels.
Barricades had been erected by the police all around the Press Club building to prevent protesters from proceeding to the Governor House. The media people took to the streets chanting “Hum Chheen Key Lengey Azadi” (we will snatch freedom), “Hum Nahi Mantey Zulm Key Zabtey” (we do not accept the rule of tyranny).
As they marched towards the Governor House to register their protest against the government’s curbs against the media, the police officials tried to forcibly prevent them and a clash between journalists and police personnel started. Police arrested about 25 senior journalists, including KPC President Sabihuddin Ghousi, KUJ President Shamim-ur-Rahman, KUJ Secretary Javed Chaudhry, KPC Treasurer Amir Latif, Ahfaz-ur-Rahman, Shakil Salawat, Moosa Kaleem, and others. Following the detention of their senior colleagues, around 200 journalists, including women, courted arrest.
Those who courted arrest included Editor Reporting The News Kamal Siddiqi and Director News Geo English Owais Tauhid, Secretary Association of TV Journalists Faisal Aziz and many others including Raja Tariq, Najeeb, Afzal Nadeem, Sabina Agha, AH Khanzada, Xari Jalil, Rahma Mohammad, Asra Pasha, Shehzad Anwer, Tariq Abul Hasan, Faheem Siddiqi, Zarar Khan, Nizam Siddiqi, Dodo Chandio, Arbab Chandio, Huma Imtiaz and Asif Mehmood.
The police brutally beat up President Association of Television Journalists (ATJ) Javed Saba, when he tried to pacify the journalists. The police shifted the journalists to five police stations: Docks, Frere, Darakhshan, Clifton and Civil Lines.
City Police Chief Azhar Farooqui, when contacted on phone, did not give the exact number of arrested journalists. Some police officials said all the protesters were taken into custody for violating section 144 of CrPc in force in the city.
Police pushed the reporters back into the Press Club after breaking up their rally with batons. When the police forcibly tried to enter the club premises, journalists in a spontaneous reaction hurled stones and both sides were involved in a battle-like situation.
Cameraman of Geo TV Javed Umrani and a reporter of ARY were injured as police beat them with batons, while one NGO activist received a head injury. Tension mounted when police and paramilitary troops confined several protesters to the press club. The police officials deployed around the KPC said they had orders not to let journalists near the Governor House, nor should those from outside be allowed to reach the KPC. They said they had orders to use force if anyone tried to break the barriers. The journalists, strongly protesting against the arrests, announced to launch a “Jail Bharo Tehreek” and courted arrests.
Salis bin Perwaiz adds: On the directives of Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad all the journalists were released after six hours of detention. Cases were registered at the Frere police station for rioting and violation of section 144 against around 150 people, five of whom were nominated.
Capital City Police Officer Karachi Azhar Ali Farooqui said the police were informed that a heavy gathering of journalists including women were present outside the Karachi Press Club. A heavy contingent, including senior officers, moved towards the KPC and saw that the journalists violating section 144. The senior police officers warned them not to violate section 144, but they started their march, on which the police resisted and held several of them for violating section 144 and rioting.
CCPO Farooqui maintained that a case 182/07 was lodged at the Frere police station under sections 147/148/188 against Najeeb Ahmed, AH Khanzada, Umer Asghar, Moosa Kaleem and Ghulam Mustafa, including 100/150 unknown people. He said even those nominated in the FIR had been freed.
Mohammed Saleh Zaafir ads from Islamabad: Caretaker Federal Information Minister Nisar Memon called the Sindh governor three times on Tuesday night to seek release of all arrested journalists in Karachi. Governor Ishratul Ebad informed the minister that each and every newsman had been allowed to go.
29 TV channels broadcasting programmes: Memon
ISLAMABAD: To ensure that Pakistan's nuclear assets do not fall into wrong hands, President Gen Pervez Musharraf has put in place an effective and leak-proof command and control system, Information Minister Nisar A Memon said here on Tuesday.
"This command and control system is working efficiently under the able and professional leadership.
Pakistan Army under the command of President Gen Pervez Musharraf is fully capable of guarding the nuclear assets," he said in an exclusive interview with The News at his office here.
Memon said 29 television channels were broadcasting programmes and the remaining ones, who would agree to abide by the law, would also be allowed to resume transmission.
Expressing confidence on holding the general elections in a free and fair manner, Memon said it was important that all segments of the society, including media persons, members of the civil society, politicians and lawyers came forward to help the interim administration in the discharge of its primary duty.
"I held the first meeting with the International Federation of Journalists this morning and am extremely grateful that we all are committed to go forward to achieve the goal," he said.
Memon said by profession President Musharraf was a military man but by heart and mind he was a tolerant, democrat Pakistani. “That is why the assemblies have completed their constitutional term of five years,” he added.
"This is a unique precedent in the political history of the country. Now the president is striving hard for the continuation of successful economic policies of the country," he remarked.
The minister said the environment in which the caretaking government had taken charge was very challenging.
He pointed out that they (caretakers) had to conduct free, fair and transparent elections in a short period of two months.
"The people of Pakistan as well as the world must have confidence in the transparency of the general elections.
In order to achieve this objective, the present set-up wants to ensure an enabling environment so that people cast their vote without any fear."
Memon said the interim administration believes the freedom of the media was extremely necessary and as information minister had been asked by the cabinet to ensure the environment in which the media could perform its duties with respect and responsibility.
"People who were detained under the Maintenance of Public Order (16 MPO) are likely to be released within a couple of days under the instructions of Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro.
The ministers for law and interior have been asked to assess their cases," he said.
The minister said the doors of the caretaker prime minister and his cabinet colleagues were open for public and all stakeholders to achieve the objective of smooth transition to an elected government.
"We are in the third phase of the process initiated by President Gen Pervez Musharraf eight years ago for transition to democracy," he said.
PPP leaders vow to continue struggle till freed of press
PESHAWAR: Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Provincial Secretary General Najmuddin Khan has vowed to continue struggle till the freedom of press and judiciary.
In a press statement issued here Tuesday, he said the PPP is united under the leadership of Benazir Bhutto from Khyber to Karachi. He expressed concern over shutting down of two leading private channels and asked for immediate lifting of curbs on the two channels.
PPP Secretary Information Arbab Alamgir said the PPP would continue its struggle till ouster of the rulers. Talking to reporters on the occasion of 'chehlum' of his father and former chief minister Arbab Mohammad Jehangir, he said the party would participate in the forthcoming elections. He asked the party workers to expedite their struggle for the success of the party candidates.
Meanwhile, Member PPP Provincial Council Syed Abid Ali Shah demanded immediate release of all the arrested workers and withdrawal of emergency. In a statement issued here Tuesday, he said his party under the leadership of Benazir Bhutto would continue resisting emergency till the restoration of democracy and Constitution.
Journalists, civil society members protest media curbs
LAHORE: Journalists and civil society members vowed to continue their struggle against the media curbs and the ban on Geo TV during a protest demonstration on the call of the All Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (APFUJ) on Tuesday.
It was one of the largest gatherings since the countrywide protests erupted against the ban on transmission of private channels. The protesters were carrying placards and banners, calling for lifting the ban from private channels, and chanted slogans for press freedom.
Office-bearers of the Lahore Press Club and the Punjab Union of Journalists (PUJ) also participated in the demonstration, where journalists expressed their resolve to continue their protest till their demands were met by the government.
The participants also condemned the torture of journalists in Karachi and called for action against the responsible. They said such incidents should not only be condemned but the accused be exposed to check the crackdown on the media. They said the journalist community should continue protests till the complete freedom of the press.
PUJ President Arif Hameed Bhatti said the government should lift the ban on private channels if it was sincere in holding a fair and free election. “The restriction on the media was aimed at hiding facts from the public,” he added. The participants of the rally later joined a hunger camp at the press club. The peaceful rally was watched by a large number of policemen but they did not interfere.
Emergency, media ban castigated
LAHORE: Journalists and civil society members vowed to continue their struggle against media curbs and the ban on Geo TV during a protest demonstration on the call of the All Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (APFUJ) on Tuesday.
It was one of the largest gatherings since countrywide protests erupted against the ban on transmission of private channels. The protesters were carrying placards and banners, calling for lifting the ban from private channels, and chanted slogans for press freedom.
Office-bearers of Lahore Press Club and the Punjab Union of Journalists (PUJ) also participated in the demonstration, where journalists expressed their resolve to continue their protest till their demands were accepted by the government. The participants also condemned state torture of journalists in Karachi and called for action against the responsible. They said such incidents should not only be condemned, but the accused exposed to check the crackdown on the media. They said the journalist community should continue protests till complete freedom of the press.
PUJ President Arif Hameed Bhatti said the government should lift the ban from private channels if it was sincere in holding a fair and free election. “The restriction on the media was aimed at hiding facts from the public,” he added. The participants of the rally later joined a hunger camp at the press club. The peaceful rally was watched by a large number of policemen, but they did not interfere.
Police besiege Hyderabad Press Club, block rally
HYDERABAD: The journalists here on Tuesday took out a protest rally against the recent media curbs and shutting down of Geo and ARY television networks while the police detained 22 journalists besides some civil society members for three hours.
Large contingents of the police, with several mobile vans and a prison van, besides the Rangers besieged the Hyderabad Press Club and closed the vehicular traffic on the Miran Muhammad Shah Road, blocking the planned rally of journalists.
Among the prominent journalists who were detained were Press Club president Khalid Khokhar, Hamid Sheikh, Iqbal Mallah, MH Khan, Mahesh Kumar and Naz Sahito. The civil society members who were detained included the Sindh Democratic Forum Convener Abrar Kazi and an office-bearer Nazeer Sheikh.
The journalists and civil society members continued to raise slogans against the curbs on media and demanded the lifting of ban on two leading news channels and vowed to continue their struggle.
Those detained were released after the Cantonment Police received directives from higher authorities.
An emergency general body meeting organised at the press club condemned the detention of journalists and civil society members. The journalists decided to continue their protest till the government withdrew the “draconian” laws against the media and resumed the transmission of news channels.
MPA Sassui Palijo arrived at the press club and expressed solidarity with the media people and extended her support in the struggle for free media.
Meanwhile, the Awami Tehreek continued its protest drive against the emergency rule and curbs on the judiciary and media with its five more activists courting arrest on Tuesday.
The Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC) and civil society members in a meeting strongly criticized the state of emergency and called it unconstitutional, illegal and a slap on the face of the nation. Emergency will serve and protect only the interests of a few people but not the nation, it said. The emergency will further weaken the institutions, the meeting stated.
The independence of judiciary is at stake, it claimed.
The lawyers continued their boycott of the high court and token boycott of lower courts in Hyderabad on Tuesday and held a general body meeting against the emergency rule and removal of judges.
In Sukkur, a big procession was taken out on Tuesday on a call of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) to condemn the imposition of emergency rule, PCO and curbs on the media, in which hundreds of print and electronic media journalists of Sukkur and other adjoining towns participated.
The journalists were carrying black banners, flags, and placards. A large number of people also joined them to show their solidarity with them.
The protest was part of the PFUJ’s series of protests, in which token hunger strike camps were also established at the Sukkur Press Club during the last four days which were visited by prominent civil society leaders, social and political workers and office-bearers of District and High Court Bar associations, who extended their whole-hearted support to the protesting media persons.
The procession was taken out from the press club in the afternoon, and it marched on different roads including the Minara Road, the Stadium Road and the Neem-Ki-Chari, after which it returned to the press club, where speeches were delivered by SUJ President Lala Asad Pathan, General Secretary Shahid Ali, Press Club President Khawaja Jawaid Ahmed and General Secretary Jan Muhammad Mahar.
Police and other security forces remained alert but soft throughout the procession, apparently because the government has softened its attitude with regard to political workers and lawyers and many others detained in local jails after Nov 3, who were to be released on the directives of the caretaker chief minister of Sindh late on Monday night.
Earlier, a Sindh High Court Bar Association, Sukkur, delegation including Advocate Shabbir Shar, Advocate Abdul Fatah Malik, Advocate Zahida Lanjar and Imtiaz Soomro held a meeting with the press club office-bearers and expressed their full support to their struggle against the controversial press laws. They expressed the hope that the Bar and media would be able to achieve success in its campaign for restoration of democracy, the Constitution and rule of law.
According to Shabbir Shar, General Secretary High Court Bar, there were more than 100 cases for hearing on the day, but none of them was heard as not a single lawyer appeared before the single bench, as a mark of protest against the PCO and emergency.
In Khairpur, journalists observed a token hunger strike against the curbs on the media and the emergency rule in the country.
The journalists and media workers while talking to newsmen at the hunger strike camp said the shutting down of the popular media channels reflected a sense of frustration among the present rulers, adding the journalists would not accept such designs and continue their struggle for the restoration of Geo TV channel.
They said the government could not deprive the people of their basic rights, including freedom of expression.
Journalists’ movement gaining momentum
ISLAMABAD: Journalists’ movement of press freedom gained a momentum on Tuesday when hundreds of mediamen staged sit-in against government’s curbs on media near Lal Masjid.
They started their protest march from the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Press Club’s camp office in Melody before they sat on the road as policemen, wearing bullet proof jackets and batons in their hands, blocked the road close to Lal Masjid and stopped journalists from walking beyond Lal Masjid with erecting a big barricade.
Politicians, members of civil societies and students joined journalists’ struggle and expressed strong resentment against policies of government against media — especially against the complete shut down of two private television channels GEO and ARY.
A leading journalist from Nepal Kanak Dixit flew in to express solidarity with journalists in Pakistan.
“Some 600,000 journalists around the world are proud of Pakistan journalists,” the white haired Dixit said in his address on megaphone.
“No matter where the journalist lives in the world, his eyes are focused on Pakistan,” he added.
As the protesters chanted slogans “Mera qalam bacha le aye Moula” (Save me pen God) and “Tez ho tez ho, jiddojehad tez ho” (go fast go fast, struggle go fast), Dixit said that in the present political scenario of the country, the time has come when a journalist should become a citizen in order to lead against dictatorship.
“When the public is subdued, it’s time for journalists and lawyers to rise on the occasion,” Dixit said.
He gave an example of Nepal when in April last year; it were journalists and lawyers who stood against the government. “Journalists, lawyers and civil societies at large came out in Nepal and I hope it will happen in Pakistan when spark of this journalists struggle goes to people in general,” Dixit said.
“People of Pakistan has suffered a lot in dictatorship and here people needs freedom.”
As the news broke out that journalists in other cities — Faisalabad, Hyderabad, Lahore and Karachi — were baton charged during the protest and around 100 of them got arrested, journalists chanted ‘shame shame shame’ in unison.
“We strongly condemn this barbaric torture on our mediamen,” said Huma Ali, president of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists.
“We give the government a time period of just 24 hours to release all these journalists, otherwise we will give court arrests,” the top leader of PFUJ added.
Huma said that in a country where president, prime minister and even security officials had been attacked by suicide bombers, nobody is safe.
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmed said that the government was trying to clip the wings of media. “The forthcoming elections are going to be media based, but the government is trying to block television channels which shows that the elections are not going to be fair and free,” Hafiz Hussain said.
He hoped that by the end of 2007, the dictatorship would end in Pakistan. “General Pervez Musharraf’s tall claims that he gave independence to media could be seen by the fact that they have closed down the television channels,” he said.
Afzal Butt, president Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of Journalists highlighted the fact that the PFUJ’s struggle for press freedom that began 12 days ago was now spread all over the country. “The PEMRA ordinances against media should be withdrawn, it’s not the struggle to only restore some of the television channels, but it’s the struggle of media curbs on all the journalists,” Afzal said.
For the first 11 days, Afzal said, that they were conducting protest camps, “but today all the journalistic community throughout Pakistan have organized protest camps.
Afzal informed a large gathering of journalists that from Wednesday all the popular talk shows that were banned by the government would be hosted on the footpaths of Melody.
“It includes Hamid Mir’s Capital Talk on GEO Television, Talat Hussain live with Talat,” Afzal said.
In his emotion-filled speech, former president RIUJ C. R. Shamsi reminded the government that in the past too they tried to clamp down the freedom of press and even put them in jails.
“But what happened the journalists and lawyers community finally won their battles against dictators in this country,” Shamsi said.
Public waiting for reopening of Geo TV
RAWALPINDI: The people in the city are anxiously waiting for reopening of Geo transmission that was blocked on the very first day of emergency in the country.
They are continuously visiting cable operators to know about the opening of Geo transmission and it has become talk of the town.
“The government should reopen Geo transmission in the public interest as men, women and children are missing their favourite programmes,” Amna Sheraz, a resident of Adiala Road, told ‘The News’ Tuesday.
She said that Geo was a typical Pakistani channel, which was providing authentic news to its viewers.
None of Geo programme was against the national interest, its every programme was in the national interest, she added.
Muhammad Farooq, a student, said that they were missing Pakistan-India cricket due to stoppage of Geo Super transmission. He said that PTV was not taking interest in providing this facility to the public.
Every person of this country waiting for Pakistan-India cricket series, but unfortunately people are being deprived of their right to enjoy the matches due to closure of Geo transmission. The government should restore the Geo transmission to enable the public to watch the Test series, he added. |
