President’s hometown: Police-backed activists thrash hawkers, burn papers | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

President’s hometown: Police-backed activists thrash hawkers, burn papers

Hawkers Union says it is not possible to lift and distribute Jang President’s hometown

NAWABSHAH: The activists of the ruling party subjected newspaper hawkers here to vandalism on Saturday soon after the media announced the news of hurling of a shoe towards President Asif Ali Zardari in Birmingham.

The next morning, the activists of the party burnt the whole consignment of newspapers at Sakrand that were to be distributed in the area between Nawabshah to Sukkur, says a press release issued here by the Newspaper Hawkers Union.

They let all the hell break loose the whole day under police patronage and threatened the hawkers with dire consequences including abduction or even killing, it said. The unlawful elements reached the residences of the hawkers and beat some of them.

The bundles of the newspapers that were to be distributed were snatched and were torched. Since Sunday morning these elements have been on their toes and guarding the stalls to ensure that no distribution of newspapers takes place. However the hawkers tried to receive and distribute the newspapers from a secret point. But the activists turned furious as soon as newspapers landed in the market. They put the newspapers on fire and beat the hawkers.

The press release concluded that under the circumstances the Newspaper Hawkers Union has decided not to lift and distribute Daily Jang from Tuesday till complete security is ensured to them. The local Jang agent has been informed accordingly, the press release concluded.

According to our Multan correspondents the newspaper hawkers and news agents held a protest demonstration against closure of Geo News and setting on fire the bundles of Daily Jang here Monday.

Reports from Vehari stated that the president of Newspapers Hawkers Union, Vehari, Sheikh Muhammad Sarwar, secretary general Idrees Bhatti, member All Pakistan Newspaper Hawkers Federation Muhammad Aslam led the protest in Vehari.

Participants of the protest chanted slogans against the incidents of setting fire to Jang and The News bundles and closure of Geo in a few areas. Sheikh Sarwar said that the snatching and setting fire to newspaper bundles was an open barbarism.

At the TMA Chowk, Irshad Bhatti, Rao Khalil, Waheedur Rehman, Naweed Iqbal Qureshi, Hafiz Malik and Dr Gul Zameer Shah said in their separate addresses at the end of the rally that the government would end up as a loser in this tussle. They said the government have launched their own decline by starting a war against the media.

Arifwala Press Club members also passed a unanimous resolution against the acts of government against Geo, Jang and The News. They demanded of the government to let journalists work with freedom.
Source: The News
Date:8/10/2010