US journalists flay on Nawa-i-Waqt
WASHINGTON- The New York based Committee for Protection of Journalists (CPJ) has condemned the bomb attack on the Karachi advertising office of the Nawa-i-Waqt.
In a letter to the Chief Executive, Gen. Peryez Musharraf, CPJ’s Executive Director, Ann K. Cooper, noted that the Nawa-i-Waqt, which also publishes an English daily, The Nation and is known for its aggressive political coverage, has faced attacks in the past as well. In this regard she mentioned the incident of June 21, 1995 when the same building was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade during a period of intense ethnic and sectarian violence in Karachi.
At that time, the building, located on M.A Jinnah Road, housed the editorial operations of the Nawa-i-Waqt newspaper group.
Following the attack, the newspaper group moved its main offices to a safer location several miles away. Ms. Cooper requested the Chief Executive to keep the CPJ informed about the progress of the inquiry into the incident.
Pakistani journalists based in Washington and New York have strongly condemned the blast at Nawa-i-Waqt’s Karachi office. In a joint statement they have noted that the paper had recently received threats but the government failed to provide adequate security.
“This is the most serious attack on a newspaper office in Pakistan in recent years, resulting in loss of precious lives and property, ” the statement said adding: ” Obviously it is an attempt at intimidation and terror to stifle independent and objective journalism.”
Source: The Nation
Date:11/8/2000
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