Journalists demand end to emergency, media curbs
KARACHI, Nov 21: Journalists continued their protest against curbs on the media and forced closure of major TV news channels in their campaign against the imposition of emergency and curtailment of press freedom.
A protest meeting was held at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) under the auspices of the Karachi Union of Journalists on the call of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ). It paid rich tribute to the journalists who braved the police brutalities on Tuesday when their march towards the Governor’s House was suppressed outside the KPC and scores of journalists were detained at various police stations for hours.
The meeting termed curbs on press freedom and arrests of journalists a part of government’s attempts to gag the media. Condemning forced closure of the Geo and ARY One World channels, the meeting said that those behind this action wanted to hide their crimes from the public. They demanded immediate withdrawal of the Pemra Ordinance and restoration of the channels’ transmissions.
“Free and fair elections cannot not be held under emergency rule; hence, it is vital to lift emergency and establish an autonomous interim set-up for holding general elections in a free and fair manner so that power must be transferred to genuine public representatives,” the meeting urged.
It regretted that the so called “missing persons” who included nationalist leaders and human right activists were still in captivity of agencies. “Family members of these unfortunate people must be informed why their near and dear ones have been kept in custody and where they have been kept,” it added.
The meeting paid rich tribute to the judges who declined to take a new oath under the Provisional Constitution Order.
Strongly condemning the attitude of some newspaper owners, the meeting demanded immediate implementation of the seventh wage board award for newspaper industry workers and called for an end to the contract system.
Meanwhile, a delegation of journalists called on Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad on Wednesday and discussed with him various issues, including press freedom, wage award, treatment of injured journalists, housing problems and the pending matter of the lease of the press club plot.
The governor assured the delegation of all cooperation to workers of the electronic and print media in the discharge of their professional duties and for their welfare.
He lamented the inappropriate treatment meted out to protesting journalists on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the KUJ Dawn unit on Wednesday condemned the arrest of journalists in Faisalabad, Quetta, Peshawar and other parts of the country during protest demonstrations against the Tuesday police action outside the KPC, our staff reporter adds.
It urged the government to immediately repeal the PCO, restore the 1973 Constitution, get the wage award implemented and constitute the eighth Wage Board.
Source: Dawn
Date:11/22/2007
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