Opposition condemns govt for baton-charging journalists
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: The joint opposition Tuesday pledged solidarity with the press in its just struggle and denounced the government for harassing journalists.
Deputy leader of the opposition Senator Raza Rabbani rose on a point of order to express anguish over brutal baton charging of peaceful procession of journalists by police outside the parliament building. He said that the muzzling of press reflects fascist tendency of the government which is set to destroy all the national institutions to pave way for one man rule in the country. He said that the same motive was behind the presentation of the 15th amendment bill.
Raza enlisted series of government's anti press actions including pressurising the Jang Group for sacking of 16 senior Journalists, banning of newsprint to the same group despite the orders of superior courts, registration of sedition case against Senator and Editor Ajmal Delhvi and three journalists of The News on Monday night. He said that the police has brutally baton charged journalists outside the parliament when they had stopped a secret agency staffer from filming their demonstration.
He said that the women police was present on the occasion but the women journalists were baton charged by the male police. The government, he added, was suppressing press against the norms of democracy. Meanwhile, the members of the press gallery continued boycott of the proceedings of the Senate for the third consecutive day.