Editors, hawkers arrested
On July 16, police in the city of Karachi arrested the chief editor, and reporter of a fundamentalist Urdu language weekly “Zarb-i-Islam” and six newspaper vendors for spreading “hate literature”. Police also confiscated copies of this and another fundamentalist weekly “Zarb-i-Momin”.
Karachi police raided the office of weekly magazine “Zarb-i-Islam” and picked up its chief editor Nasir Ali Jahangir and reporter Mohammad Saleem. Police also sealed the office of the publication and confiscated the copies of the magazine.
Police also raided different newspaper stalls and picked up newspaper vendors
Mohammad Imran, Abdul Latif, Abdul Rehman, Mazhar Abbas, Nadeem, and Mohammad Irfan for selling these publications.
Police sources said the action was part of the drive to remove hate literature by then end of next year in compliance of directives of the president of Pakistan. No case had been registered against the publications and police sources said they were waiting for further orders from higher officials.
The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) condemned the raid on the offices of the weekly “Zarb-i-Islam” and arrest of its chief editor and reporter, and demanded that the Sindh government to immediately release them, hand over the offices to its administration and let the case be tried in open court if there are any charges.
In a statement the CPNE said that although it strongly opposed sectarian and religious extremism, it treasured the right to free speech.
Source: PPF
Date:7/19/2005
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