Musharraf talks about media limits
RAWALPINDI: The media cannot be allowed to promote disintegration and push the nation towards despondency, President General Pervez Musharraf said on Sunday.
Speaking at the ceremony held to mark founding day of the state-run television, General Musharraf said the creation of an impression that freedom for media has been achieved through struggle is incorrect because the decision to give independence to media was taken by the government.
The president said there should be freedom of expression and media should not be limited to state-run television only. Rather more television channels should be launched in the private sector, he added.
General Musharraf said it was the idea of the government to have more channels in the country and it intentionally took steps for the independence of media under a strategy. He said that he believes in the freedom of media but also believes in responsibility along with the freedom.
The president said that some elements and channels are spreading despondency and division in the nation. He said he was happy that almost all channels had gone on air. He said that the government prepared the code of conduct keeping in view the international laws, including the western countries.
General Musharraf said the western media does not show pictures of dead bodies while reporting on war in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places but all such things are happening in Pakistan. Such scenes terrify people so code of conduct was extremely necessary.
Journalists express solidarity with Geo
KARACHI: Under the protest plan announced by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), media people staged a sit-in outside the Jang offices on Sunday to register their protest and convey their messages to the ruling authorities.
The Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ), along with the media people belonging to Dawn group, and other media organisations, protested to show solidarity with the Geo staff, as, except for Geo television, all other private TV channels were back on the air though under certain conditions.
The protesting journalists wore black wrist armbands carrying placards inscribed with ‘Geo Aur Jeeney Do’, were chanting slogans in support for a free press and media. A small rally at the end of the Jang street was taken out with journalists chanting slogans against the Pemra Ordinance and demanding immediate restoration of Geo TV.
A four-day protest plan was also announced by Secretary Association of TV Journalists (ATJ), Faisal Aziz, according to which a four-hour protest camp, starting from 1pm till 5pm, will be organised at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Monday (today). The other press clubs of the country will also follow the programme.
The protest camps will sit till November 29 and this, it was believed, would muster up further momentum, said KUJ President, Shamim-ur-Rahman. According to him, the journalists’ movement will not stop even if Geo comes back on air, as, he said, the struggle will continue till ‘editorial contents’ of newspapers are free from military domain.
He emphatically stated that certain forces tried to destabilise the media’s movement but he warned higher authorities that any pressure tactics by the government would not minimise the journalists’ courage.
On the occasion, he assured the workers of Geo and Jang of all out cooperation on behalf of the community and said that they should not feel isolated, even though the government, while allowing other channels, tried to create a rift among the journalists’ community.
He further said that the government had to bow in front of the unity showed by the journalists’ community adding that they would not take dictation about what programme should be on air and which should not.
Sabihuddin Ghousi, President, KPC, speaking on the occasion, said that the struggle of media was not confined to one organisation. He said that they should collectively fight the restrictions imposed on the media, as, he felt, an attack on any one media organisation meant an attack on the entire community.
Rejecting violent behaviour in the peaceful movement, he appealed to all the people belonging to different segments of society, including lawyers, civil society organisations and doctors to participate in a protest of the media. He believed that this was not an issue solely confronting the people in the media, but was linked to society as a whole.
Imtiaz Faran, Secretary, KPC, said that the government had hatched a conspiracy by isolating Geo, while other TV transmissions were on air, but, the unity of community proved that they had failed in their attempt to divide journalists’ community.
Musharraf, he said, by clamping down on TV transmission had taken a step to render thousands jobless.
MUjeb-ur-Rehman, President, Pakistan Association of Press Photographers, said that the present government had rolled back the days to the time of the press and publication ordinance of 1963. Pointing out that the journalists had succesfully weathered that phase, he felt that this new threat would also be faced with courage and spirit.
Curbs on media denounced
ISLAMABAD: The protest of Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) entered its 17th day here on Sunday on the call of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) against curbs on the media and imposition of emergency in the country.
Journalists belonging to various dailies, privates TV channels and representatives of civil society participated in the protest rally outside the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Press Club camp office here on Sunday.
Hundreds of mediapersons chanted slogans against the brutal force used against journalists in Karachi, Hyderabad and Faisalabad. They raised their voice against imposition of emergency, which led to the closure of prominent TV channels and restrictions on talk shows.
On Sunday, lawyers of the twin cities joined the protest and chanted slogans against what they called black laws, including confinement of judges and use of brutal force against lawyers across the country.
Addressing the gathering, RIUJ President Afzal Butt vowed to continue their ‘just struggle’ till the acceptance of their demand for freedom of expression and free media.
He said that the PFUJ has always rejected black laws in the country. He stated “Our struggle is for independent judiciary which is the base for free media.” He said that promulgation of the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) is a conspiracy against the people of Pakistan.
He said that journalists would not sit idle till curbs on the media and curtailing the role of judiciary and suspending the constitution would not be lifted.
On the occasion, he announced that Geo TV’s popular talk show ‘Capital Talk’ would be conducted by its host Hamid Mir on the road. In this show, PPP Senator Dr. Babar Awan, Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal’s leader Liaquat Baloch, PFUJ Secretary General Mazhar Abbas, senior journalist Nasir Zaidi and prominent columnist Nasim Zehra would participate.
The Sunday’s protest was participated by minority leader Julius Salik, senior advocate Athar Minallah and civil society representatives.
Geo TV talk show on footpath today
ISLAMABAD: In the second phase of journalists’ protests against curbs on media and imposition of emergency rule in the country, Geo TV’s famous talk show ‘Capital Talk’ will be staged in front of Rawalpindi-Islamabad Press Club camp office here today (Monday) at 2:30 p.m. In the second phase, journalists’ community has decided to present nation’s favourite and popular but ‘banned’ private TV channels’ shows on roads. Today, renowned journalists Hamid Mir’s programme ‘Capital Talk’ will be presented on road in front of the Press Club office in Sector G-6/1, near Melody Market. Among the guests will be senior journalist Nasir Zaidi, senior leader of Jamaat-e-Islami Liaquat Baloch, general secretary of Federal Union of Journalists Mazhar Abbas, senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Babar Awan of Pakistan People’s Party. |
