CPNE-convened meeting calls for withdrawal of media fetters
An interactive meeting of representatives of civil society in Pakistan was convened by the CPNE Action Committee to deliberate over the existing situation in the country in relation to the media and the amendments to the media laws carried out under the emergency.
The meeting, which took place on Thursday afternoon, unanimously called for the withdrawal of all these amendments and the lifting of the ban on the TV Channels. The meeting was attended, among others, by representatives of the working journalists organisations, Azhar Ali Khan of Takhleeq Foundation, Miss Uroos-e-Sehar, programme coordinator of the Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Aid, Mahfooz-un-Nabi Khan, secretary-general of the Liaquat Ali Khan Memorial Committee.They assured the CPNE and the press of their full support in their demand for the freedom of the press.
The meeting heard suggestions from the representatives of the different NGOs for organising coordinated action to protest against the media restrictions and the emergency. The interactive meeting decided that immediate steps be taken for the establishment of a broad-based body for defending press freedom and seeking the withdrawal of all amendments to the media laws.
The meeting felt that joint action by all sections of the media in the country in defence of press freedom and rule of law was important and decided that the Action Committee along with other CPNE members should take part in the meeting organised at the Press Club on the subject ‘Press freedom and Emergency’.
In keeping with this decision, all members present at the interactive meeting arrived at the KPC in a group from the CPNE office wearing black armbands to demonstrate their solidarity with the journalists. While winding up the meeting, Mahmudul Aziz, chairman of the Action Committee, said that all the suggestions made at the interactive meeting would be submitted to the President of the CPNE, Syed Fasieh Iqbal, urging immediate implementation of the suggestions made by the CPNE Standing Committee in conjunction with the publishers and management body, the All Pakistan Newspaper Society.
Mahmudul Aziz, highlighting the role of the CPNE, recalled the historic meeting held in 1966 by CPNE, APNS and PFUJ against draconian press laws, the formation of several coordinating committees to organise joint action for press freedom, including the holding of the Quaid-e-Azam Press Convention in May, 1983, followed, more recently, by the CPNE initiative on the formation of a Joint Action Committee of the CPNE-PFUJ-APNS of which Mazhar Abbas was made the convener to campaign for the withdrawal of the action by Sindh Government banning six newspapers in 1996. The movement ended in total success and the renewal of the publication of the six banned newspapers.
Members present at the meeting felt that any effort to move the clock back in respect to media freedom and Human Rights by the Government under the emergency would ultimately hurt the Government itself and, therefore, it must desist from all such actions and withdraw all actions to this effect.
The meeting closed with Fateha for the late nephew of Kazi Asad Abid, Managing Editor of Daily Ibrat. Later, the participants in the meeting walked through Abdullah Haroon Road to the Karachi Press Club as a mark of solidarity with the struggle for press freedom and attended the meeting organised by the working journalists.
Source: The News
Date:11/16/2007
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