Journalists barred from parliament
ISLAMABAD, June 7: An angry National Assembly speaker barred journalists from parliament on Thursday in a show of insensitivity to their protests against new media curbs and what critics called the regime’s desperation in the face of a democratic movement spurred by the prevailing judicial crisis.
It was another first in Pakistan’s parliamentary history as Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain was quoted to have ordered his staff not to let journalists enter the parliament building to cover Thursday’s sitting of the National Assembly in what seemed to be a reprisal for a previous day’s unprecedented incident when they chanting slogans from the press gallery had scuffles with non-journalists who allegedly tried to undermine their protest walkout by occupying reporters’ seats.
Only members of the state media – the Pakistan Television, Radio Pakistan and the Associated Press of Pakistan-were allowed entry to cover the second day’s proceedings of the present lower house’s last budget session in its fifth year whose opening day on Wednesday was marked by protests by journalists and the opposition against a newly-promulgated Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) (Amendment) Ordinance providing for easier and harder punishments for perceived violations of the original Pemra law.
All journalists from newspapers, private television channels and other domestic and foreign news organisations were not allowed entry when they arrived at the parliament building for the scheduled 10am start of the National Assembly sitting. But they stayed on outside under a scorching sun, often chanting slogans such as “we want freedom” and “Pemra Ordinance as unacceptable whenever a government minister or other assembly members would come and drive into the parliament premises.
Source: Dawn
Date:6/7/2007
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