Reporter Sans Frontieres (RSF) calls for probe into arson attack
ISLAMABAD- In a letter sent to Interior Minister Mainuddin Haider, Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) asked for serious investigations to be conducted in order to identify the authors and the sleeping partners of the deliberate attack against Business Recorder office, and to punish them with jail sentences.
The RSF also asked the minister to guarantee the safety of journalists and to ensure the protection of media buildings. According to Robert Menard, general secretary of the organization, the attack was “a reminder of the threats facing Pakistani journalists from extremists.”
According to the information collected by RSF, the investigation conducted by Karachi police had reached so far no conclusions, two weeks after the ransacking and burning on May 18 of Business Recorder offices by a mob of supporters of Maulana Yousaf Ludhianvi, a sunni religious scholar killed on the morning of the attack.
The majority of the newspaper employees were obliged to hide for several hours because of lack of police protection. According to a police officer, “some Individuals are suspected of participating in the attack” but Arshad Zuberi, the newspaper editor affirmed, “nothing has been done.”
Javed Jabbar, adviser to Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf on national affairs, said “during a visit to the destroyed building of the newspaper that the attack as well prepared and hawed the dangers of extremism.”
Source: Business Recorder
Date:6/2/2000
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