Newsmen stage silent protest | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Newsmen stage silent protest

HYDERABAD- The general council of the Hyderabad press club at a meeting condemned the armed attack on the bureau office of Daily Ummat and NNI news agency and said that like previous governments, the present government had also failed to provide protection to journalists and newspapers’ offices.

The president of the club, Lala Rehman Samoon presided over the meeting, which observed that due to the indifferent attitude of the government, the terrorists had been given a license to continue with their nefarious designs with impunity.

The meeting reminded the government that it was the duty of the authorities to provide protection to the citizens as well as the newsmen.

It expressed concern that the authorities had also failed to arrest the assailants of the office of Ummat and NNI and Mr. Abdul Hafeez Abid who was attacked last year also when five bullets were pumped into his body.

The meeting resolved to continue protest till the arrest of the culprits and decided that the news of any organization or group found involved in the attack would be boycotted.

A committee was constituted to meet the leaders of different political and religious parties to inform them about the gravity of the situation and apprehensions of the newsmen.

Later the newsmen staged a silent protest demonstration outside the Hyderabad press club.

A spokesman of Islami Jamiat-i-TuIba, Sindh, and Mr. Ahmed Masroor has condemned the attack on the office of Daily Ummat and NNI and telephonic threats to the bureau chief, Mr. Abid.

In a statement, he said that the government had given free hand to the terrorists and even the fourth pillar of the state was not safe.

He demanded the immediate arrest of the terrorists and protection to newsmen.

Source: Dawn
Date:12/13/2001