Government announces compensation for journalists injured in protest
ISLAMABAD (April 14 2007): The government on Friday routinely condemned manhandling of the journalists in Karachi and Islamabad terming it an assault on the press freedom, by some miscreants in the ranks of lawyers during a protest.
About 14 journalists got serious injuries in Karachi when some lawyers allegedly belonging to a ruling ally party attacked them during an anti-government rally organised to protest the action against the suspended Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
Condemning the incident, Federal Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani during a press conference here assured his government’s full support to journalist community. He announced Rs 50,000 compensation grant for each injured journalist adding that they would also be compensated damages to the professional gadgets like cameras etc.
“This is strong conviction of the people, government and the media to institutionalise and uphold freedom of press so that Pakistan could emerge on the global map as a symbol of press freedom”, he claimed. He said there was no justification of what happened in Karachi. However, he could not assure the mediamen to arrest the culprits, instead suggested that the bar councils should take action against those responsible for what he termed ‘ugly’ incident.
He said if Supreme Court could take suo moto notice, why not the Bars saying that the culprits should be given an exemplary punishment besides suspending their memberships. The law would be followed if any party lodges FIR, he said.
About the manhandling of a journalist of private TV channel by a PPP MNA in Islamabad, he demanded of the PPP leadership to take action against the parliamentarian. Durrani said that this was an attitude of intolerance which was unfortunate, uncalled for and condemnable. This is not the issue of opposition or government rather this is the issue of entire journalist community, he said.
He told the mediamen that soon after receiving the information on the incident, he contacted Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz who also condemned the incident.
Source: Business Recorder
Date:4/14/2007
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