PFUJ condemns restrictions on National Assembly reporting
KARACHI (February 07 2007): Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) on Tuesday strongly condemned the decision of government to restrict journalist’s coverage in the National Assembly and termed it a direct attack on the press freedom.
PFUJ in a statement issued here said according to reports the government has imposed ban on journalists in the cafeteria, ban a private TV channel programme ‘Parliament Cafeteria,’ besides banning journalists from covering Standing Committee meetings.
PFUJ vowed to resist all these restrictions and asked the reporters, cameramen, photographers covering the NA and Senate to protest. It is most condemnable that these steps have been taken on the launching of the last year of the National Assembly and could be a step towards more action against the freedom of the press, it said.
The present government over the past four years have tried to impose restrictions on the press through various laws. Some of which were enforced others pending while it has darkest record as far as cases of violence against journalists were concerned. Government brought anti-press laws like PEMRA and it also wanted to introduce another black law through legislation but withheld the decision because of strong protest from the PFUJ and other media organisations, it added.
The government has not been able to recover the Editor of Express, Peshawar Suhail Qalandar while failed to take action against responsible for the murder of Hayatullah Khan, Ismail Khan and those police officials involved in beating the journalists in Islamabad, it said adding it has also failed to implement the 7th Wage Award even after five years.
PFUJ appealed to the entire journalist community, rights group, lawyers, political parties, trade unions to unite against the anti-journalists policies.
Source: Business Recorder
Date:2/7/2007
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