Daily Sindh’s closure: opposition likely to raise issue in National Assembly | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Daily Sindh’s closure: opposition likely to raise issue in National Assembly

SLAMABAD- The opposition is likely to raise the issue of closure of ‘Sindh’ newspaper during the National Assembly session.

Senior PPPP leader and former minister for privatisation Syed Naveed Qamar, PML (N) Information Secretary Siddiqul Farooq, MMA’s provincial President Assadullah Bhutto and Rauf Mengal of BNP (Mengal) said this while visiting the daily’s owner, observing hunger strike unto death close to Zero-Point intersection.

“I shall prefer to die instead of seeing my family helplessly looking for food,” Ghulam Rasool Sehtoo said while talking to the politicians, who sympathised with him.

Sehtoo, along with other staffers of the daily came to Islamabad on July 17, covering 1400 kilo-meters distance on foot in protest against the promulgation of the ordinance-1999, that deprived the regional (Sindhi) newspapers of 50 per cent ad quota.

The leaders criticised the measure that resulted in the closure of as many as 12 Sindhi dailies and demanded of the government to compensate the affectees.

A banner read: “Who is responsible for closure of ‘Sindh’ and financial sufferings of the employees.” “Hunger strike will continue until the government compensates,” another banner said.

Naveed Qamar assured the newspaper editor that they would try to raise the issue in the assembly, depending on the situation.
Source: Business Recorder
Date:8/20/2003