Journalists boycott Foreign Office briefing
ISLAMABAD, June 20 2006: Foreign and local journalists boycotted the Foreign Office briefing on June 19 in a protest against the murder of The Nation’s correspondent in North Waziristan, Hayatullah Khan, whose body was found in Mirali on June 16. As the FO spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam entered the briefing room, Rawalpindi Press Club Senior Vice President Aroosa Alam stood up and told her about the journalists’ decision to boycott the briefing. She said that the journalists did not have any grudge with the spokeswoman, but “we will boycott FO and parliamentary proceedings until our demands are met”.
After her short statement, the journalists started moving out of the room. Ms Aslam asked them to stop, as she wanted to offer fateha for Hayatullah. All of the reporters then offered fateha for about a minute and then left the room. Ms Aslam and FO officials also followed them. In Karachi, journalists boycotted Sindh Assembly proceedings and observed a black day to protest the killing of Hayatullah and cameraman Munir Sangi in Larkana. The journalists, who were covering the budget session, boycotted the proceedings as the proceedings started at 11:15am. The journalists began their protest after the recitation of the Holy Quran and Naat. They gathered at the assembly building stairs, wearing black armbands and holding placards, and staged a sit-in for an hour.
They chanted slogans and demanded the government hold inquiry into the killings of Hayyatullah and Sangi. They also demanded the government protect journalists from threats and harassment. Hayatullah was kidnapped in December 2005 after he reported that a senior Al-Qaeda member, Maza Rabia, was killed in a CIA attack in Pakistan. Sangi was killed in cross-firing between warring Abro and Unner tribes in Larkana in May. Leader of the Opposition Nisar Khuhro and MPAs Rafique Engineer, Dr Mahreen Bhutto and Farheen Mughal of the Pakistan People’s Party and Nasrullah Shaji, the deputy parliamentary leader of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, joined the journalists to express solidarity with them.
Later, Sindh Home Minister Rauf Siddiqui came to the pressroom and assured journalists that a judicial inquiry would be held into the killing of Munir Sangi. He said that an FIR would be registered against those involved in the attack on the office of a local Sindhi TV channel. Similar protests were stages by journalists throughout the country on the call of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists and All Pakistan Newspapers Employees Confederation (APNEC) against Hayatullah’s killing. Several journalists gathered at the Karachi Press Club. They carried banners and placards and took out a rally from the press club to the Governor’s House. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has also condemned Hayyatullah’s murder.
In Multan, journalists held a demonstration outside the Multan Press Club. Dozens of journalists, including members of the press club, Anjuman Sahafiyan and photographers assembled outside the club in response to a call by journalist bodies. They chanted slogans against the killers of the slain journalist and demanded the authorities immediately arrest the murderers. The demonstration was led by the MPC President Shakeel Anjum. Club General Secretary Jamshed Rizwani and other office bearers were also present.
The representatives of various political and religious parties, including MMA Multan President Mufti Hidayatullah Pasroori, former federal minister and PPP leader Malik Mukhtar Awan and PML (N) leader Bilal Butt participated in the protest demonstration.
Also, journalists in Dera Ghazi Khan observed black day and took out a protest a rally against Hayatullah’s killing. They demanded an impartial enquiry into his murder and exemplary punishments for the assailants.
Source: The Nation
Date:6/20/2006
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