“I ask my party workers to show regard for all media workers, including those of Geo News, because my party believes in the freedom of expression. I would like to evolve a mechanism to stop the attacks on media workers during the coverage of sit-ins,” he said during a meeting with a three-member delegation of media persons headed by President Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) Afzal Butt.

The delegation also included General Secretary of the National Press Club (NPC) Tariq Chaudhry, Finance Secretary Waqar Satti and General Secretary of Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) Bilal Dar.

PTI MNAs Shafqat Mehmood and Asad Umar and in-charge of PTI Media Cell Chaudhry Rizwan were also present on the occasion.

Imran Khan said they would set up a separate desk at the D-Chowk and form a special committee that would provide full protection to media workers.

Since the start of the two sit-ins, the Geo staff has come under attack a number of times. A woman reporter, Farhat Javed, covering the Dharna was attacked with empty bottles and other staff was also harassed.

The mike of a Geo reporter was snatched and other staff members were also intimidated. Repeated attacks on Geo News clearly show that the anti-government demonstrators are intolerant of media’s role in reporting these events and are resorting to unjustifiable undemocratic acts.

Imran Khan also asked why the police were not protecting the Geo News premises as more than 30,000 cops had been deployed in the capital to maintain law and order.

“I think someone else is involved in attacks on Geo News to defame the PTI in the eyes of the public.”

The PTI chief said he would visit the NPC and show solidarity with the media workers because he strongly believed that a strong media could guarantee a strong Pakistan.

The News

The demand was made through a resolution that was passed at the conclusion of a protest jointly held here by the Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) and National Press Club (NPC). It was largely attended by members of human and civil society organisations.

Addressing the participants of the protest, NPC President Shahrayar Khan said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) Chief Dr Tahirul Qadri had been constantly inciting their workers that finally resulted in attacks on Geo News and PTV for which both of them should apologise to the workers of these organisations and the people as well.

The speakers who spoke on the occasion included NPC General Secretary Tariq Chaudhry, RIUJ President Ali Raza Alvi, RIUJ General Secretary Bilal Dar, Geo News Bureau Chief Rana Jawad, PTV MD Muhammad Mallick, cricket commentator Ehtashamul Haq, Waseem Farooq of the Punjab Union of Journalists, Farzana Bari and Naeem Mirza.

They said the workers of PTI and PAT attacked the Geo offices 25 times and its workers in the last 18 days and dozens of journalists were brutally tortured by the policemen in the Red Zone area that is really unfortunate in the country where every one talks about freedom of expression.

“The leadership of PTI and PAT and the interior minister should offer apology otherwise the journalists’ community would be left with no other option except to register cases against them. The journalists show the truth to the people so those who target and torture them are those who want to hide facts for their personal reasons,” they said.

Meanwhile, the journalists and members of the civil society organizations also attended the “Pro-democracy” camp set up in front of the National Press Club (NPC) and urged the government to immediately evolve a joint political strategy to get rid of a group of few thousand people who are making vandalism in Red Zone area and annihilating the image of Pakistan in the comity of nations.

The News

They expressed these views at the “Pro-democracy” camp set up in front of the National Press Club (NPC) by Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) in coordination with Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) and civil society organizations that has become an open platform for all segments of the society where one can give vent to one’s feelings and emotions towards democracy.

RIUJ President Ali Raza Alvi said that this was only the first government that saw a transition from one politically elected government to the other and in the long run it was this peaceful and democratic transition that could ensure a more responsive, egalitarian, and inclusive democracy in Pakistan.

“A change in the culture and politics of Pakistan would need time and would depend upon long-term political reforms and even if these marchers come to power tomorrow, they will still have a long road ahead of them,” he said.

RIUJ General Secretary Bilal Dar said the statements given by reputed and senior politician Javed Hashmi had raised the eyebrows of the people who had started thinking whether all these protest marches and sit-ins were ‘scripted’ anywhere and if this was the case then it would cause a severe blow to democracy.

“The current political crisis has already caused loss worth billions of rupees to our national economy so the marchers should think about the country and its people many of whom are finding it hard to make their both ends meet.

These leaders should adopt constitutional means and raise their voice at the political and legal forums to resolve their issues,” he said.Social activist Alya Mirza said that Dr Tahirul Qadri and Imran Khan could have mobilized their followers to bring aid to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) but unfortunately during the 18 days in sit-ins they never ever bothered to even mention the plight and grievances of these people who had left their homes to secure future of Pakistan.

She said, “The people stand for the continuous progress of democracy and democratic norms and traditions in Pakistan and are opposed to this new wave of agitational politics that may topple the elected government but it would badly hurt the long-term democratic aspirations in the country.”

Famous artist Jamal Shah said that it was highly unfortunate that some political groups had made the country hostage through confrontation and violence and their leaders were not ready to take care of supremacy of the Constitution, so the people were really worried about the future of democracy in Pakistan. “We are with democracy and would not backtrack from our stance because our politicians had made mistakes in the past and now there is a time to move ahead following true spirit of the democracy. The majority of the political parties have showed their support for continuity of the democratic process despite having severe political differences with the incumbent government,” he said.

Fayyaz Gillani, a social activist, said that there was a need to set aside personal interests and work for the betterment of the country and those political forces that thought that they could bring any positive change through confrontation and violence were at the wrong end.

The News

They expressed these views at the pro-democracy camp set up by Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) in coordination with National Press Club (NPC), Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) and civil society organisations to highlight the importance of democracy and urge the political parties to avoid politics of agitation and use the forum of the Parliament to address their grievances.

The NPC president Shaharyar Khan said the marchers should show political maturity and behave like responsible politicians instead of creating law and order situation in the country that is already facing financial crunch and people are facing number of problems due to limited financial resources.

“Everyone in Pakistan is patriotic and wants to see the country move forward but if there is any kind of difference of opinion then it does not mean that one should ignore all democratic norms and start using agitation and confrontation as a tool to achieve the set political targets,” he said.

The RIUJ secretary general Bilal Dar said the marchers never trust democracy and Constitution but they should keep in mind that dictatorship always pushed the country into troubled waters and rising terrorism, spread of weapons and drugs smuggling.

Prominent human rights activist Farzana Bari said it is good to see that the Pakistan Army did not play any kind of role in this crisis on its own and the media statement issued by ISPR clearly showed that the government itself asked for the role of a facilitator and it was also not the wish of the Army to hold meetings with Imran Khan and Dr Tahirul Qadri.“These two leaders wanted the establishment to bring them to power but it would not happen and all their nefarious designs would be foiled by the people of Pakistan,” she said.

Social worker Alya Mirza said when the news of imposition of martial law by Ziaul Haq was published in newspapers then many readers started weeping and cursed it so they never want it again in Pakistan where a democratic process is moving ahead in the right direction.

Rakhshanda Parveen, a social activist, said there was a time when even political discussion was not allowed in the public places during the Ziaul Haq regime and then the people took back the power from the dictator and restored democracy in Pakistan and now it is necessary to protect it against all odds.

Another social activist Farkhanda Aurangzeb said when she invited late poet Ahmad Faraz as a chief guest on a function during her college days the officials of the dictatorial regime of Ziaul Haq started interrogation and asked who gave her money for this work, adding “After interrogation I succeeded to assure them that no one had given any money and I invited him on my own.”

The News

A large number of journalists visited the protest camps set up in front of press clubs all over the country and chanted slogans like “One Country: Two Laws”, “Shame on Pemra”, “Eliminate No-Go Areas” and “Rein In Cable Operators”. They recited poems and sung songs in favor of freedom of press.

The protest camps have been set up in front of press clubs in various cities including Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Sukkur, Hyderabad, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Larkana, Abbottabad, Muzaffarabad, Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur and Multan.

Senior journalists, politicians and the members of civil society organizations continued to visit these camps and showed solidarity with the journalists who have been raising voice against unjust and illegal acts of Pemra and some cable operators who are not following the court verdicts.

Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) President Afzal Butt while speaking at the protest camp in front of the National Press Club (NPC) said if the government does not take action against the illegal acts of cable operators then the movement to protect freedom of press would move forward with more vigor and momentum in the coming days.

He said there was a devious scheme of pitching the localmedia houses against one another but now journalists had realized that division among them would serve no purpose and they should join hands to eliminate no-go areas for Geo News and Jang and The News newspapers.

“Federal information minister asked PFUJ to end its protest campaign but it categorically rejected his suggestion and made it clear that it would be stopped only when the government takes necessary action against Pemra,” he said.

NPC President Sheheryar Khan said political parties make tall claims of freedom of press but when they come into power they forget their pledges and continue the policies of curbing media to hide truth from the common people.

NPC Secretary General Tariq Chaudhry said copies of Jang and The News were burnt on a number of occasions but it seems there is no one to investigate these incidents and arrest the culprits behind this crime.

Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) Secretary General Bilal Dar said Geo News had been pushed back to last numbers by the cable operators in various cities but the government was still hesitant to take any step in this respect.

“Why the government is acting like a silent spectator and not taking action against those cable operators who are still not ready to restore Geo News and other channels to their original numbers,” he said.

Khyber Union of Journalists (KhUJ) President Nisar Mehmood and Peshawar Press Club President Nasir Hussain said attempts to gag the free media were detestable because media retains the right to be critical and any law infringing on that right and attempting to regulate the media is nothing less than an attempt to bring back the anti-democratic days of the military dictators.

President Sukkur Press Club Lala Asad Pathan while addressing the journalists said they had rendered great sacrifices to earn the freedom of press so the journalist community would foil any attempt to undermine the role of media in the country.

Karachi Press Club (KPC) President Imtiaz Faran said an independent media was a must in a democratic society so the government should take steps to end discrimination against and ensure that all media groups work independent of the state institutions pressure.

Our Peshawar Bureau adds: The protest by the journalists against the blacking out of the transmission of Geo Entertainment and a private TV channel continued for the fourth consecutive day on Tuesday.

Senior journalists from print and electronic media were present in the protest camp set up by the Peshawar Press Club (PPC) and Khyber Union of Journalists (KhUJ).The journalists chanted slogans against the curbs on the freedom of the press. The speakers rejected the muzzling of the press and restriction on the freedom of expression.

They said the Pakistan Electronic Media Regularity Authority imposed curbs on the media, but the authority failed to restore the transmission of Geo TV after the completion of the 15-day suspension period.

They said that hundreds of people were associated with the media channels and shutting them down would render many people jobless. They vowed to intensify the protest if the ban was not lifted.

Our correspondent adds from Lahore: The protest against curbs on channels and newspapers continued here Tuesday in Lahore.

A large number of journalists, members of civil society, lawyers, representatives of political and religious parties, and common citizens participated in the protest camp, set up in front of the Lahore Press Club by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, led by Afzaal Butt, and the Council of Pakistan Press Clubs, led by Arshad Ansari.

The participants called for unity among the media houses to safeguard the freedom of expression earned after hard struggle of the entire community. The participants in large numbers, carrying placards inscribed with slogans in favour of the media freedom, gathered at the protest camp and vowed to foil every conspiracy hatched against the press freedom.

Among the prominent attending the camp were: Punjab Parliamentary Secretary for Information Rana Muhammad Arshad, Punjab Union of Journalists President Waseem Farooq Shahid, LPC President Arshad Ansari, Photographers Association President Iqbal Chaudhry, a PPP representative Zahid Zulfiqar, LPC Secretary Shahbaz Mian, senior journalists including Pervaiz Bashir, Bedar Bakht Butt, Imran Sheikh, Khalid Farooqi, Imtiaz Rashid, Zahid Ali Khan, Ataullah Chaudhry, Javed Farooqi, Rab Nawaz Khan, Gohar Butt, Sabir Awan, Imran Ihsan, Raheel Syed, Mubasher Hassan, Muneer Khokhar, etc.

The speakers said Geo News was not restored completely until now and all channels of Geo family were also pushed back from their original numbers on the cable even after 15-day suspension by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra). They demanded the government stop such discriminatory steps, taken against the most favourite channel of the country.

The participants also criticised those who were making hurdles in the distribution of the Jang Group newspapers. Bedar Bakht Butt, in his address, said Jang/Geo is being punished for raising the voice of truth and for fighting the cause of common man. He said hurdles are being created in the distribution of Jang and The News. But, he warned, the whole journalist community would fight against this nefarious design, aimed at damaging the largest media house of the country. He said the journalist community would continue its efforts for the freedom of press and freedom of expression.

Rana Muhammad Arshad said the media, particularly the Jang Group, had played a key role in strengthening democracy and earning media freedom in the country. He said the role of media was very crucial in the ongoing war against terrorism adding the government would continue supporting media freedom, which is very essential for democracy also.

Arshad Ansari said journalists were not fighting for Jang or Geo but for the press freedom and freedom of expression earned after hard efforts of the journalist community. He called upon all media houses to show unity at this crucial time as the media freedom was under grave threat. He said incomplete restoration of Geo is a clear sign that there is no rule of law in the country even in a democratic era. He said the camp would go on till complete restoration of all TV channels.

Arshad said journalists affiliated with different print and electronic media houses could play an important role for the common cause. Waseem Farooq said Pemra should follow the rules and procedures and act on the decisions of the courts and if it does not do so, then the incumbent government should take stern action against those who are responsible.

The News

The journalists gathered at the protest camps set up in front of all press clubs across Pakistan and held banners carrying slogans like “Freedom of Expression: Under Threat,” and “Not scared of threats!”.

The speakers deplored that Geo News was not restored completely and all the channels of Geo family were pushed back from their original numbers on the cable. They asked the government to undo these discriminatory steps. They slammed the act of making no-go areas for Geo Television and the Jang Group newspapers and stopping the cable operators from disseminating the information provided by news channels.

A large number of journalists from print and electronic media and members of the civil and members of the civil society organisations visited the protest camps and said they would start a countrywide protest campaign on the call of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) if unannounced curbs are not lifted and no-go areas not eliminated against Geo Television and the Jang group newspapers.

PFUJ president Afzal Butt while addressing the charged and protesting journalists in front of National Press Club (NPC) said Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) is shrinking employment opportunities for the journalists by taking television channels off the air so they cannot tolerate any situation in which the people belonging to the media industry are pushed to the wall to conceal wrongdoings of the state.

He said senior journalists affiliated with the print and electronic media can play an important role in giving a constructive direction to the media industry that has been serving the nation with commitment, dedication and pride.

NPC president Shehryar Khan said the media industry always played a pivotal role in safeguarding national interests and ideological boundaries of Pakistan and it would continue to do so in the face of challenges and threats, adding “No one can question the patriotism of journalists who always prefer national interests despite facing potential threats even to their lives.”

Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) president Ali Raza Alvi said the government should make all out efforts to ensure that there are no no-go areas for any newspaper or news channel because any discriminatory act can undermine the freedom of press in the country.

RIUJ secretary general Bilal Dar said, “We hope the government would rectify the affairs of Pemra that should realise the importance of freedom of press and take steps in line with rules and procedures.”

President of Punjab Union of Journalists Waseem Farooq said “Pemra should follow the rules and procedures and decisions of the courts and if it does not do so then the incumbent government must take steps against the responsible persons,” he said.

In Quetta, President of Balochistan Union of Journalists Irfan Saeed while speaking at the protest camp said there should be rule of law in the country and every state institution including Pemra should work under the law instead of taking illegal steps to cause damage media industry.

Speaking to the protesting journalists Karachi Press Club president Imtiaz Faran said they would speed up their movement in the coming days because they seem that the government is paying no heed to their demands.

The News

The journalists raised slogans in favour of freedom of press and against illegal actions of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) and cable operators who are depriving the viewers of their favourite news channels.

It is pertinent to mention here that the journalist associations have set up permanent protest camps in front of all press clubs in various cities, including Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Quetta, Peshawar and Muzaffarabad.

While addressing the protesting journalists at the protest camp in front of the National Press Club Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), President Afzal Butt said the government should not test their determination because come what may they would not make any compromise over freedom of press.

“There are still no-go areas for Geo Television in various cities and we demand of the government to take notice of it that if this leading news channel has completed its sentence of 15 days, then why cable operators or other elements are trying to block its transmission,” he said.

PFUJ Secretary General Khursheed Abbasi said the history of journalists has been stuffed with sacrifices and if it is guide then every one should come to know that media organisations faced hard times but refused to bow down before any kind of dictatorship. He also regretted that Geo News was not fully restored and all the channels of Geo family are pushed back and not being aired on their original numbers on the cable.

Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) President Ali Raza Alvi said the journalists have a firm resolve that they would oppose any move made against the freedom of press that has been earned after rendering great sacrifices.

“Pemra is not following rules and procedures so it is responsibility of the government to ensure it follows the law and avoids making any illegal steps,” he said.Karachi Press Club (KPC) President Imtiaz Faran and Secretary General Amir Lateef while addressing at the protest camp in front of KPC vowed to continue raising voice against discrimination against news channels and stated the government should avoid doing illegal steps against media organisations.

In Quetta, President of Balochistan Union of Journalists Irfan Saeed while speaking at the protest camp said they would not stop their protest unless the government ensures that all news channels are available on cable on their original numbers and all newspapers are properly distributed across the country.

Similarly, President of Faisalabad Union of Journalists Shamsul Islam Naz and President of Punjab Union of Journalists Waseem Farooq also addressed the protesting journalists and condemned the measures being taken by some quarters to block transmission of news channels and circulation of newspapers like Jang and The News.

The News

The Karachi Union of Journalists held a meeting of senior journalists to discuss and find a solution to the prevailing precarious situation faced by journalists following the media crisis that has arisen recently.

Senior journalists, including Abdul Hameed Chhapra, Tahir Najmi, Habib Khan Ghauri, Shahid Hussain, Faysal Aziz Khan, KUJ President GM Jamali, KUJ General Secretary Wajid Raza Isfahani and PFUJ Secretary General Amin Yousuf, were also present at this event, says a press release.

The members of the meeting were of the opinion that the act of disconnecting of any channel or changing its position on the cable is against Pemra laws and is also against the freedom of press and freedom of opinion as enshrined in the Constitution of Pakistan.

The meeting was of the opinion that some channels ran some video clips which antagonised the sentiments of a large section of society. But some other channels aired those clips again and again which resulted in further aggravating the situation, inciting people and thus putting the lives of journalists under threat.

The meeting agreed that on the issue of a particular video clip, a host and Geo TV Network have already tendered an unconditional apology, and this apology was being aired constantly.Most of the Ulema and religious scholars have said that after this apology, the matter should be defused and shelved. The meeting also endorsed this opinion.

A resolution was passed that no media organisation or channel will be allowed to be banned; PFUJ and KUJ will resist any such move and will hold countrywide demonstrations.It was also strongly reiterated that the KUJ and PFUJ stood by all working journalist, especially of Jang and Geo, who were vulnerable. Steps should be put into place to protect the lives and property of all journalists across the media.

The participants also decided that a committee headed by Habib Ghauri and six journalists, comprising the KUJ President GM Jamali, General Secretary Wajid Isfahani, PFUJ General Secretary Amin Yousuf, Bureau Chief Geo Faisal Aziz Khan, Senior Journalist Syed Safdar Ali and Senior Journalist Shahid Hussain, be formed which will seek the opinion of the Ulema and will also stress to the channels to work within journalists ethics.

On the other side, the advisory session of senior journalists, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), National Press Club (NPC), Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) and Supreme Court Reporters Association was held at the Supreme Court press room.

In the meeting, all the leaders asserted that any decision to impose curbs on the freedom of opinion would not be accepted, nor any idea of closing down a TV channel, newspaper would be seconded.

Condemning the timid act of an assault on Hamid Mir in the strongest terms, all the journalists said that the attack was tantamount to a blow to journalism, democracy and personal freedom. PFUJ President Afzal Butt said that there is no divide among the Pakistani journalists as every journalist represents Hamid Mir.

NPC President Sheheryar Khan, RIUJ President Ali Raza Alvi, General Secretary Bilal Dar, senior journalist and anchorperson Matiullah Jan, Khudayaar Mohla, Rashid Habib, Khalid Azeem, Rana Masood, Ehsan Haqqani, Wahid Murad, Shahzad Khan Abdush Shakoor, Tariq Chaudhry, Tahir A Khan and senior journalists were present on the occasion.

The participants remarked that in democratic societies, journalists were considered as the eye and ear of the society. They added that they would keep rendering sacrifices for the freedom of expression of the masses.They added that the unpleasant voices labelling others as traitors and demanding closure of certain organisations were not among the characteristics of civilised societies.

The journalists, denouncing the controversial programme aired on television channels, termed them against the social values. They also noted that the apology made by Geo and the act of sacking entire team of the programme was a good omen. They proposed that a special committee, comprising senior journalists, should be formed to play a role in the backdrop of the prevailing circumstances.

The News

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has strongly condemned the thrashing and torturing of a Mirpur-based journalist, allegedly done by workers of a political party.

Mehmood Mirza, the editor of an Urdu daily, was allegedly attacked and dragged out of his office in Mirpur by workers of a political party after they stormed the newspaper’s office.

The Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists also condemned the incident.

Express Tribune