HRCP concerned over curbs on working journalists in Pakistan
KARACHI- During the year 2002, there appeared to be an increase in measures taken to prevent journalists from performing their regular duties.
A Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) report 2002 issued here on March 25, 2003 in Karachi said that in some cases, journalists were denied entrance to courts or public forums, while in other cases direct violence was used against those attempting to cover an event or obtaining information.
The report said at the end of August, a reporter of an English language daily, “The Nation”, Aziz Sanghur, who had recently filed a story on a protest in Site Town, Karachi against power load-shedding, was beaten up by the staff of the Karachi Electrical Supply Corporation (KESC) managing director’s office.
The reporter was visiting the KESC offices to seek the version of officials on the continued power breakdowns.
It said the journalists holding valid security passes were also not permitted to enter arms exhibition held in Karachi on September 16, where President General Pervez Musharraf was the chief guest.
The journalists were evicted from the stadium along with two Press Information Department (PID) officials who had accompanied them.
“In March, the World Bank (WB) asked the government to explain why journalists were being prevented from attending certain meetings of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
The PAC had been declared open to the press the previous year, with the WB and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) linking funding to increase transparency in public matters,” it said.
The report also said in March, the newsmen were prevented from entering an accountability court in Attock to cover proceedings in a case against Asif Ali Zardari, adding that some journalists complained they were manhandled by the police, when they attempted to enter the courtroom.
“Despite objections by various media bodies, in June, a freelance journalist Hayatullah was detained apparently by the US troops in the South Waziristan area.
He was held for over a week, before being released in July, along with three other journalists who were also attempting to complete stories on the US operations in the tribal areas.
Hayatullah complained that he had been kept blindfolded and handcuffed for most of the time in detention, the report said.
Likewise, in September another two journalists and several other members of a human rights group led by HRCP, visited military farms in Okara to assess the conflict pitching tenants against military authorities managing the farms, were detained by the Rangers, which was condemned by the HRCP.
HRCP Secretary General Hina Jilani said in a statement that an action has been taken to prevent the journalists from meeting aggrieved farmers.
Source: Business Recorder
Date:3/26/2003
” 
” 
” 
” 
