Journalists protest media restrictions across country
* Over 150 arrested Karachi journalists freed
* Journalists in Lahore, Islamabad and Quetta urge govt to lift ban on private TV channels
KARACHI/ISLAMABAD/ LAHORE/QUETTA: Journalists across the country rallied against media curbs on Tuesday, resulting in over 150 being arrested in Karachi, before being released late on Tuesday night.
The protests, which had been called by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), were heavily attended by media personnel and were for the most part peaceful. However, the rally in Karachi turned violent when police baton-charged the protesters as they tried to advance towards Governor’s House.
Association of TV Journalists President Jawed Sabha, columnist Zubair Rehman and ARY reporter Ajiz Jamali were badly beaten during the protest. Some of the journalists ran back to seek refuge in the Karachi Press Club but were prevented from entering by police.
The police arrested about a dozen senior journalists including Karachi Press Club President Sabihiuddin Ghausi and Karachi Union of Journalists President Shamimur Rehman.
After the senior journalists were arrested, all remaining journalists demanded their release and following the police’s refusal, offered themselves up for arrest as well. In the end over 150 journalists were arrested.
In the evening, the police said the women journalists could leave, but they refused to go until everyone was freed. Finally, on Tuesday night, all the journalists were released, including four who had gone “missing”. Following their release, the journalists held a rally and vowed to continue protesting until all curbs on media were lifted.
Media demands: Meanwhile, journalists in Islamabad and Rawalpindi took to the streets and marched from the Islamabad/Rawalpindi Press Club to Lal Masjid. They shouted anti-government slogans and demanded the government lift restrictions on media, restore the constitution and the deposed judges of the Supreme Court, and end emergency rule.
The police tried to stop the journalists, but could not prevent their march until they were forced to turn back from Lal Masjid. The journalists also protested the arrests of their colleagues in Karachi and threatened countrywide protests if they were not released by Wednesday noon.
Kanak Dixit, a Nepalese journalist, joined protesters and said the international media stands by their Pakistani colleagues.
Also on Tuesday, hundreds of journalists took out a rally from the Lahore Press Club to the Punjab Assembly to protest against the closure of TV news channels. They crossed the barricades the police had setup and staged a sit-in in front of the assembly building.
Lawyers and journalists in Quetta also protested against the emergency and urged the government to withdraw the ban on private TV channels.
Source: Daily Times
Date:11/21/2007
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