Journalists continue boycott of official functions
ISLAMABAD (November 07 2007): The journalists continued their boycott to coverage of official events for third consecutive day in protest against the strict curbs imposed on media following the proclamation of emergency by General Musharraf.
Widespread unrest prevails among masses amid black out of about 50 national private news channels along with BBC, CNN, Al-Jazeera and other international channels, depriving the countrymen of the main sources of information.
Journalists in the federal capital continued their protest, boycotting the coverage of official functions and vowed to continue their struggle till the withdrawal of what they termed ‘black law’, imposing curb on freedom of expression.
Reacting to the government’s harsh attitude towards the media, weekly briefing of Interior Ministry’s spokesman and a function organised by National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) were boycotted and score of other official events were also held without media coverage.
Alongside, on Tuesday evening a large number of personnel of Islamabad and Punjab Police deployed around a private TV channel, ‘Geo’ Islamabad office. However, no motive of the move was ascertained till filing of this report. Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies also continued crackdown against the lawyers, politicians and activists of rights groups across the country.
Activists from different parts of the country took out to streets and protested against the emergency, resulting clashes between law enforcement agencies and protesters erupted in different cities. Sources revealed that score of lawyers, politicians and activists of right group were arrested by law enforcement agencies on the third day of the protest.
Islamabad courts remained closed on the second day and all the roads leading to ‘Kutchari’ were strictly monitored by the police to cope with untoward situation. Besides, all sacked judges including former Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry were still confined to their official residences and road leading to judicial colony have also been sealed for the last three days.
Meanwhile, Jamhoori Forum, a broad-based alliance of political workers, intellectuals and social activists and a part of the country-wide Awami Jamhoori Ittehad held a protest demonstration in Karachi Company, demanding an immediate end to the emergency, release of all detained political workers and the announcement of an election schedule.
Dozens of activists participated in the demonstration holding banners and placards, waving black flags and chanting anti-government slogans. They also distributed pamphlets. Speaking on the occasion Aasim Sajjad, a social activist said that over the past 48 hours the principle defenders of democracy have bravely resisted a wave of state repression and that in spite of a multitude of arrests and violence, the movement is intact.
He said that it is high time that all political forces that claim to be committed to the restoration of democracy make their presence felt while the ‘international community’ should reverse its hypocritical policy of aiding and abetting dictatorship. Jamil Abbasi said that there can be no compromise with this government and that all of its claims of enlightened moderation have totally exposed.
Source: Business Recorder
Date:11/7/2007
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