Journalists remember public floggings of 1978
KARACHI, May 13 2006: The Pakistan Federal Union journalists (PFUJ) and the All Pakistan newspapers Confederation (APNEC) will 1 various programmes throughout the Country to remember the public flogging of journalist on May 13, 1978 by the martial law regime. According to a PFUJ release, the affiliated unions will organize programmes in Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Faisalabad and Multan May 13. The unions have invited the e journalists, who underwent the act logging Nasir Zaidi, Khawar Naeem Hashmi and lqbal Jaffery – besides political workers, trade union workers, who e court arrested during the 1978 cement.
The participants will light earthen lamps for the “freedom of the press,” in press clubs and other public places. The PFUJ has also published a colored poster, acting the public flogging. In 1978, the military regime of general Zia-ul-Haq banned the then Opposition newspaper daily Musawwat, fished from Karachi and Lahore.
The regime refused to lift the ban despite the PFUJ’s and APNEC’s demands. The two journalist’s bodies launched the movement during which over 500 journalists, newspaper employees, political and trade union workers and peasants were court arrestÂed and convicted by the military courts. Four Journalists Masood Ullah Khan, Nasir Zaidi, Khawar Nasim Hashmi and lqbal Jaffery were sentenced to 10 lashes each, as they confronted a military court ‘judge’. Later, on the Khan’s sentence was suspended on medical grounds, while other three were flogged, which remained the worst conviction ever given to journalists around the world.
PFUJ president and APNEC chairman Pervez Shaukat, PFUJ Secretary General Mazhar Abbas and APNEC Secretary General Nasir Chishti lauded the efforts of all those newspaper employees, journalists, Political and trade union workers who participated in the 1978 movement of the PFUJ and APNEC, under the leadership of the former chiefs of the two bodies, Nisar Usmani and Minhaj Bama. (PPI)
Source: Daily Times
Date:5/13/2006
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