Pakistani newspaper received threat from Islamic activists | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Pakistani newspaper received threat from Islamic activists

Daily “Aaj Kal”, an Urdu language daily published from Lahore received threats from Islamic activists angered by the publication of a cartoon about Umme Hassaan, wife of Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz and also an editorial criticizing the religious militancy.

The Lal Masjid, located in Pakistan’s capital city of Islamabad, was the centre the stand-off between the mosque administration and students of the affiliated seminary who barricaded inside the mosque and the government. The crisis culminated in a bloody military operation on July 7, 2007 in which scores of people, including male and female students of the seminary and paramilitary personnel were killed and over one hundred others were injured. The Musharraf government has been widely criticized for highhandedness and scores of students are still missing after the government attack on the mosque. Umme Hassaan organized a Lal Mosque Martyred Women’s Conference in Islamabad on Wednesday 9th July in memory of women killed in the military operation.

According to the management of “Aaj Kal”, speeches were also made against the newspaper by protestors who had gathered outside Lal Masjid on July 11. According to Najam Sethi, Editor-in-Chief of daily Aaj Kal, protestors raised slogans against the daily, its editor-in-chief and publisher. They accused the newspaper of being anti-jihad and threatened to “teach them a lesson”, he added. The staff also received threatening telephone calls in Lahore and Islamabad.

The newspaper had recently published a cartoon depicting Umme Hassaan teaching female students on how to nab “immoral women”. The paper had also published an editorial against religious terrorism and militancy in Pakistan.

The threats against “Aaj Kal” have been widely condemned by media organizations. The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) condemned the attempts by non-state elements to take law into their hands threats designed to silence the daily for its outspoken views on rising extremism in the country. Arif Nizami, President of the CPNE said: “We see this as an attack on the freedom of the press and condemn it strongly.”

Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) in a statement issued on July 12, termed the threats to Urdu daily “Aaj Kal” as an attempt to silence the voice of dissent and expressed concern over the rising trend of violence from non-state actors against media personnel.

The PFUJ reminded clerics of Lal Mosque that one photojournalist Javed Khan died, while covering the military operation, while another journalist was still under treatment and fighting for his life.

PFUJ said that the media gave full coverage to the events last year and again on its first anniversary. “We expect them to behave honorably if any newspaper or channel criticizes their politics in its editorials. They also have a right to protest if “Aaj Kal” or any other newspaper or channel does not give them due coverage. But they should respect the dissenting voice,” the statement said.

In a statement, The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has also expressed concerns over the threats to the newspaper. The statement said: “The HRCP believes that it’s the obligation of the government to protect its citizens and particularly the media from being browbeaten.”

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sherry Rehman also condemned the threatening phone calls and messages. Ms. Rehman assured the publication that the government would provide complete protection to their offices.
Source: PPF
Date:7/14/2008