Professional bodies flay Jang Group's victimisation
By our correspondent
HYDERABAD: Various professional organisations have flayed government's victimisation policy of the Jang Group of Newspapers, and demanded of it to refrain from such tactics.
The central president of the All Pakistan Akhbar Farosh Federation, Syed Afzal Ahmed Shah, has strongly condemned the victimisation of the Jang Group of Newspapers and termed it as an attempt to close down the newspapers of the Jang Group.
In a statement, Afzal Shah said it was evident that under a conspiracy, the Jang Group of Newspapers was being made the target of political victimisation by the government. He said that the hawkers of the country were expressing concern over the move as under this plan the government was harassing journalists and other newspaper employees.
Assuring full cooperation to the management of the Jang Group on behalf of the hawkers, Afzal Shah demanded of the government to stop such tactics, causing uncertainty among the mediamen.
Meanwhile, the office-bearers of the Anjuman-e-Akhbar Faroshan, Hyderabad Qazi Ziaullah, Zahoor Bhai, Abdul Waheed Sabir, Hafeez Ghouri, Habib Ahmed and others also expressed their extreme concern over the prevailing situation and urged the government to bring an end to the victimisation of the Jang Group.
The All Banks Employees Federation called an emergent meeting, which was presided over by its chief Shabbir Ahmed and attended by representatives of different bank unions.
It said that the Jang Group had always fought against the evils of the society through newspaper reports, and the government was victimising it because it unveiled the faces of the corrupt rulers.
Shabbir termed Ehtesab Bureau's entire campaign as mala fide, and based on ill intentions and aimed at getting personal interests.
Even in the days of martial laws and dictatorship, the freedom of the press was not targeted in such a manner, he said. He termed the fresh government move as an attack on the freedom of the press, which might harm the very base and solidarity of the country.
Mowaz Khan Wardag, the district vice president of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf Youth Organisation, has condemned the government for attacking the freedom of the press by dictating a big newspaper group, which always raised voice for the oppressed people.