Journalists to protest colleague`s killing | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Journalists to protest colleague`s killing

By Kalbe Ali

ISLAMABAD: Media bodies will hold a protest sit-in in front of the parliament house here on Wednesday against the government`s failure to stop killing of journalists and bring the perpetrators to justice.

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), National Press Club, Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) and All Pakistan Newspapers Employees Confederation have rejected the Federal Shariat Court`s independent judicial commission.

The arrangements for the countrywide protest were finalised at a meeting of all the media organisations held at the PFUJ office here on Tuesday.

The meeting was informed by PFUJ president Pervez Shaukat that journalists all over the country would take part in the protest against the killing of Saleem Shahzad. In Islamabad, the protest sit-in will start at 2pm on Wednesday and continue till 4pm on Thursday.

“Journalists in all the provinces will also protest the murder of Saleem Shahzad in front of their respective provincial assemblies,” he said.

“Journalists will also boycott the coverage of National Assembly and the provincial assemblies during these two days.” The meeting was informed that lawyers, politicians, civil society organisations and all segments of society had also promised to participate in the protest.

The participants criticised Interior Minister Rehman Malik saying he had assured the media bodies that the prime minister had ordered formation of an independent judicial commission under a Supreme Court judge to probe the murder, but now the government has decided to set up a commission under Federal Shariat Court Judge Agha Rafiq. Like all the judges of this court, Agha Rafiq is a temporary judge.

Source: Dawn

Date:6/15/2011