Imran Khan was given life membership of the KPC some 22 years back as a sports person. Latif humbly requested Imran Khan to personally apologies with the aggrieved journalists and TV channels’ staff members on the unpleasant incidents.

A copy of the letter available with The News, said, “May this find you all well. Here is the Secretary Karachi Press who is addressing a life member of the Karachi Press Club (KPC), Pakistan’s oldest and most prestigious body of journalists. You are associated with this club for the last 22 years, and the KPC members had been proud of having you as its life member.

You are the only politician who is the life member of the KPC, although you had not been granted the life membership in the capacity of a politician but as a sportsman.Khan Sahib, what we are getting from your part nowadays is not at all a matter of pride or respect for yourself and the members of this prestigious Press Club. The way your workers have been misbehaving and manhandling reporters and cameramen during the coverage of your “Azadi March” in Islamabad is not merely damaging your reputation of being a fair sportsman, but also earning a bad name to the KPC.

You have been time and again making promises that your party would uphold the freedom of expression.However, I am disheartened to mention that in practice what we are seeing, is a stark contradiction to your words. Your workers are not only misbehaving and beating up male journalists, they do not spare even female reporters. Three female reporters of Geo News, Rifat Javed, Amna Aamir, and Iffat Rizvi were mistreated and harassed by your workers on separate occasions while they were covering your sit-in two weeks ago. Similarly, Aaj TV reporter, Nasir Kazmi, cameramen Mohammad Iqbal, Usman Gujjar, and other technical staff, Waqt TV reporter, Sajid Shah and cameraman, Atif Yousaf were beaten up and harassed by your workers on different occasion in last three weeks.

Scores of your supporters have been pelting stones at the building of Geo News Islamabad every day for over last one week. They smash vehicles parked outside the building, and hurl abuses on the staff.

I could have absolved you of this charge if these ugly incidents had taken place once or even twice. But, since it has become a routine affair, and you have neither prevented your followers from carrying out this hooliganism, nor condemned it, I am constrained to say that it is with your connivance that journalists are being harassed and media houses attacked.

Khan Sahib, let me tell you that it will not work. Such practices in the past, you may or may not be aware of them, have not benefited the culprits. The religious and political parties that had unleashed similar reign of terror against media in the past, had all finally surrendered. They only damaged their own reputation. Respecting voices of dissent is part of all civilized societies.

Khan Sahib, please do not let us down. You have a great following. Even various KPC members have a soft corner for you and your policies and they plead your case. But, the way your workers are portraying themselves, and consequently the PTI, it makes the journalists believe that there would be no place for dissenting voices in your “New Pakistan”.

Khan Sahib, we have nothing to do with your political ventures. It’s between you and the government. Our concern is how to protect the honour and the legacy of the KPC. We expect from a person of high esteem and calibre like you, not to let down the image and reputation of the KPC. We also expect that you would immediately ask your workers to show restrain, and refrain from attacking journalists and media houses.

Khan Sahib, it was very easy for us to set up a protest camp right in front of your sit-in to tell the world how your party is treating journalists. But we believe and expect that you will pay heed to our protest, in the interest of freedom of expression and the prestige of Karachi Press Club. We stand alongside constitution, and democracy, and are sure so do you and your party.

I am sure you will ask your workers to desist from attacking journalists and offices of TV channels that do not buy what you say because this is their fundamental right. I also expect from you to personally call the aggrieved reporters and cameramen and apologise on these unpleasant incidents”.

The News

These claimants of democracy and the rule of law harassed and manhandled fourth the pillar of democracy to stop them for the objective coverage of the sit-ins. The wrath of these party workers was not limited to only one channel or one gender, but they also harassed a woman journalist, and attacked at least one dozen journalists and supporting staff, besides harming their vehicles and equipment.

The journalists who were harassed and manhandled by the workers of opposition as well as a ruling party, belonged to Aaj TV, ARY News, Geo TV and Samaa TV. These sad attacks on journalists have raised eyebrows of the community across the country and internationally.

It is a widely acknowledged fact that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) sit-in would have tapered off had the media not been giving extensive coverage to the party chairman’s speeches daily that often ended late evening.

The angry workers are at a loss to understand that the working journalists have to cover and report the issues and events irrespective of what different sections of society may or may not like to read or watch. More importantly the political actors need journalists as much to tell their stories as do the journalists to report such stories. Media plays a crucial role in shaping a healthy democracy. It is the backbone of a democracy. Media makes people aware of various social, political and economical activities happening around the world. It is like a mirror, which shows or strives to show the truth and harsher realities. If media persons close their eyes the government officials will openly do what they want.

First of all to confront a harsh situation was Geo TV as their reporters Azaz Syed, Arshad Waheed, Farhat Jabeen (a woman journalist) and Saif-ur-Rehman and cameramen Shabbir Ahmed and Khurram Shehzad while covering the sit-in on 16th August came across an unfriendly crowed of PTI. The same crowed had given a warm welcome to the reporters and supporting staff of ARY News channel that day, as they thought that channel was giving them their desired coverage.

A PTI activist, Gulfam Khan Pathan, a joint secretary of union council of Hamsheerian district Mansehra of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province had said that since their leader Imran Khan had boycotted Geo TV therefore its staff deserved the treatment.

The chief coordinator of PML-N, Siddiq Farooq, at that time termed the manhandling of the TV team ‘undemocratic attitude’.

Jang group has yet claimed that as many as eight reporters, cameramen and drivers had been assaulted by the workers of PTI recently.

Khan, who had in his speeches unintentionally instigated his charged workers against Jang group, condemned after a couple of days on 18th August, the attacks by his workers on Geo reporters.

Geo TV’s digital satellite news gathering (DSNG) van once again came under attack on 21st August right after two days of Khan’s condemning such act by PTI workers. The woman reporter, Farhat Javed, and other media staff were sitting in the van to cover the latest situation of the sit-in. However, due to the attack they had to flee to their office without performing their duties.

Not only opposition marchers were among the attackers but supporters of ruling party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had their share also in adding another incident of ‘undemocratic attitude’. Babar Malik of ARY News was attacked by a group of political activists on 21st while covering the Pakistan Muslim League-N rally brought out by its local leaders. The journalist said: “First the angry activists abused the television channel and its anchors and then they started beating me. Although I was not injured seriously, I suffered various bruises.”

The victim demanded the government to provide security to the on-duty journalists as they cannot perform duties under such hostile circumstances.

A Samaa TV crew was also harassed on 24th August at the march by workers who also confiscated their footage.

Aaj TV team was attacked by PTI workers who were managing security arrangements of the demo outside the Parliament House on 24th October. They demanded to check the channel’s DSNG and on denial they climbed the van and roughed up the reporters and support staff. At least four crew members from Aaj News including DSNG engineer Iqbal, cameramen, Usmaan, Iqbal and Samaarat were attacked.

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) at ‘Pro-democracy’ camp on 25th August had deprecated the undemocratic acts of what it called ‘container politicians’ to attack journalists and said that such sit-ins had put an adverse effect on the national economy and paralyzed the capital city including its educational institutes.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has also called on all sides to respect the role of journalists and media workers. “We note that the organizers of the ‘Freedom March’ have condemned these attacks but they must do more to control their supporters and ensure the safety of journalists covering the protests,” said CPJ Deputy Director Robert Mahoney.

Pakistan Press Foundation

According to that letter, “Let the Aaj TV know about the bomb planted in its office. It will be detonated if it did not broadcast Sadiq Butt; will kidnap your wife and daughter…” “Ghulam Mustafa is innocent and it’s not his handwriting,” said the suspect’s brother, Sabir at his Multan residence, saying his brother had lost the identity card two months ago. Aaj TV learnt that Nadra issued him a new identity card on February 24, 2012.

The threat created panic across the TV channel and Business Recorder, bringing their daily editorial operations to a halt. The police immediately reached Aaj News head office. Bomb disposal squad was also called in to assist. According to the TV channel, in line with the initial investigation of law enforcing agencies, the suspect had been found threatening several institutions of exploding them with bombs.

He served a term of three-month in jail for being accused of threats. Ghulam Mustafa is a Multan resident whom police raided to nab but was missing from home for the last two days with no contacts with family, police say. The interior minister, Malik Habib took a notice of the incident. The Nadra has also confirmed both identity cards are original. The suspect’s brother, however, said that Mustafa is in Islamabad but having no phone contacts with his family.

Source: Business Recorder