The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns the attack on the Islamabad office of the Pakistani television channel ARY News on Wednesday, January 13. The IFJ demands an immediate investigation into the attack by authorities.

According to ARY News, unidentified attackers hurled a hand grenade at the Islamabad bureau office of ARY News, on Wednesday evening, also firing gunshots injuring a non-linear editor. The assailants who were riding a motorbike, lobbed a hand grenade at the ARY News offices and fired several shots before security guards retaliated swiftly forcing the attackers to flee away. The attackers threw pamphlets claiming that the Islamic State’s Afghanistan chapter carried out the attack ‘in reaction to the channels coverage of on-going operation Zarb-e-Azb’. Zarb-e-Azb is a joint military offensive being conducted by the Pakistan Armed Forces against various militant and terrorist groups.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Information Minister Pervez Rasheed and political leaders have denounced the attack and promised swift action.

In November, 2015, a similar attack took place as unidentified attackers hurled a hand grenade on the Faisalabad bureau office of Dunya News TV injuring three people. The attackers had also thrown pamphlets containing threats during the attack.

The IFJ said: “The attack on the offices of the ARY News in Pakistan is a cowardly act of terrorism; and is against the principle of free press and democracy. The IFJ condemns the attack, claimed by the ISIS’ Afghanistan chapter and urge the Pakistani government to take swift action to arrest the attackers as soon as possible.”

“The IFJ also urge the Pakistani government to provide security to media person and media houses to ensure no further attacks take place.”

International Federation of Journalists

The organization also noted serious concerns about the fairness of the trial.

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) sentenced in absentia Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, owner of Geo TV and its parent Jang Media Group, actress Veena Malik, her husband Asad Bashir and TV host Shaista Wahidi, to 26 years in prison each for airing a “contemptuous” programme.

Geo TV has a tense relationship with Pakistani authorities and was earlier this year temporarily taken off air following the blasphemy allegation.

“This sentence will have a chilling effect on freedom of expression in Pakistan. It is appalling that someone should be sent to prison for decades over a TV programme,” said David Griffiths, Amnesty International’s Deputy Asia Pacific Director.

“This judgment shows how Pakistan’s deeply flawed blasphemy laws have become another tool to silence media.

“There are also serious concerns about the fairness of this trial as the defendants were sentenced in absentia and never had the opportunity to answer the charges in court.”

The ATC also fined the four convicts 1.3 million Pakistani rupees (USD 12,800) each.

The blasphemy charges relate to a programme aired by Geo TV in May this year, when Malik and Bashir re-enacted their wedding ceremony with a Qawaali, devotional music sung to dictate the life and teachings of Prophets, which concerned the marriage of Fatima Zahra, daughter of Prophet Muhammad, with his cousin, Ali.

Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman is based outside Pakistan, while Malik and Bashir have fled the country after receiving death threats when the blasphemy allegations were first levelled against them. Malik told Amnesty International that she fears for her life if she returns to Pakistan.

Pakistan’s blasphemy laws violate international human rights law and standards. Amnesty International urges the government to reform the laws as a matter of urgency to provide effective safeguards against their abuse, with a view to their eventual repeal.

“Although the blasphemy laws are disproportionately used against religious minorities, today’s sentencing underlines the fact that no one in Pakistan is safe from being targeted,” said David Griffiths.

“The death threats against Veena Malik and Asad Bashir show how even an accusation of blasphemy could lead to the threat of violence. Authorities should do more to protect those at risk of violence – not fuel the fire by using blasphemy laws to settle political scores.”

Geo TV has been locked in a standoff with Pakistani authorities since its main anchor, Hamid Mir, in April this year accused the spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of being behind an assassination attempt on him.

On 6 June this year, the governmental body Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) suspended Geo TV’s license for 15 days over the blasphemy allegation. PEMRA imposed a similar ban on another private TV station, ARY TV, on 20 October for “maligning” the country’s judiciary.

“The Pakistani authorities must end their attempts to harass critical voices in the media into silence.

“Instead of trying to control media outlets and journalists, the Pakistani authorities should do more to protect them so they can carry out their work freely and without intimidation and harassment,” said David Griffiths.

Amnesty International

Jamshed Baghwan, as I know him for the past 15 years, is a brave and self-made journalist. He is among those who have balanced views and encourage unbiased reporting. He researches thoroughly, making sure never to air any kind of story without multiple credibility checks. He is a strictly professional journalist and is liked by everyone inside his community, which is why he remains the general-secretary of the Peshawar Press Club and the vice president of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists. While being committed to ethics, he maintains friendly relations with his fellow journalists at the Express News bureau in Peshawar.

If Baghwan can be attacked, so can other journalists in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Its no wonder that Amnesty International deemed Pakistan to be the most dangerous place for journalists. Pakistani journalists face multiple threats from all sides. They are not free to think freely and write freely. He/she is always threatened, always feeling stifled and stressed.

In the past eight years, I have seen 13 journalists being killed in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Majority of the journalists in this area have imposed self-censorship. Many are found saying that their lives are more precious than media ethics.
Journalists get no support from the federal or provincial authorities. The injured get no monetary compensation. Families of those dead are not extended any support either.

The other sad side of his story is the rivalry and jealousy between media organisations. While reporting Baghwan’s attack, his name and his media group’s name was not even mentioned in the bulletins. When Hamid Mir was attacked, there was country-wide outrage. But when Baghwan was attacked, that too for the third time, his predicament was largely under-reported and even ignored. He was ignored like those dozens of journalists who lose their lives or are paralysed in FATA and Balochistan, as if they are not citizens of the state, but some unwanted aliens.

Express Tribune

“The suspension of Geo TV is a serious attack on press freedom in Pakistan. It is the latest act in an organized campaign of harassment and intimidation targeting the network on account of its perceived bias against the military,” said Richard Bennett, Amnesty International’s Asia Director.

“The Pakistani authorities must immediately reverse this ban. If there are concerns about the content of Geo TV broadcasts, the authorities should address this in line with international human rights standards – not simply move to silence a critical voice.”

The governmental body Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) today ruled that the licenses of Geo TV be suspended for 15 days with immediate effect.

The ban is due to allegedly blasphemous content broadcast last month by Geo TV – part of the Jang Media Group – and its earlier accusations against a senior military intelligence official.

Geo TV has been locked in a stand-off with the Pakistan military, rival media houses and some political parties since one of its journalists, the news anchor Hamid Mir, narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in Karachi on 19 April.

The network accused the Pakistani spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of being behind the attack, which the ISI has denied.

On 20 May some government officials attempted to pull Geo TV off the air over allegedly “anti-state” and “blasphemous” content, apparently under pressure from the military, but within hours the decision was overturned by PEMRA’s executive authorities until today’s order.

“The suspension of Geo TV sadly fits an all too familiar pattern in Pakistan. State authorities and other political actors use any means they can to silence critical reporting, from the use of anti-state and anti-religion provisions of the law to physical attacks and violence,” said Richard Bennett.

In a report released on 30 April, Amnesty International documented how media workers in Pakistan live under the constant threat of harassment, violence and killings from a range of state and non-state actors.

Several Jang Media Group journalists have told Amnesty International that they have received daily threats and harassment by unknown individuals by phone and in person.

Many said they dare not enter their offices or identify themselves as belonging to Geo TV or other Jang Media Group outlets for fear of being attacked.

“Pakistan’s vibrant media scene deserves better protection, and journalists must be able to carry out their legitimate work without fear or interference,” said Richard Bennett.

Amnesty International

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the Pemra’s decision and termed it politically motivated and against the commitments made to it by the Nawaz government. “We are troubled by the decision by Pakistan’s regulator to suspend the Geo News’ licence,” said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon.

“The move to shut down one of Pakistan’s largest media outlets is short-sighted and politically motivated and runs counter to the spirit of commitments Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif made to the CPJ,” the CJO statement said.

A CPJ delegation met with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in April and secured commitments to combat risks to journalists in Pakistan. Other US-based news organisations also expressed their shock and decried the Pemra decision.

Reporters Without Borders condemned Friday’s decision by the Pemra to suspend all broadcasting by the Geo News for 15 days.

The decision was taken in response to a Defence Ministry’s complaint to Pemra, accusing Geo News of waging a “vicious campaign, libelous and scandalous in nature” after its star talk show presenter Hamid Mir was badly injured in a targeted shooting on 19th April.

“Suspending a TV station’s licence is a grave violation of freedom of information especially when it is the country’s leading news channel,” Reporters Without Borders said.

The suspension follows a major smear campaign against Geo News that began after it broadcast claims that the intelligence agencies were behind the attack on Mir. Both the defence ministry and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) responded by accusing the Geo News of being “anti-state.”

On 20th May, several Pemra members ordered the closure of Geo News and two of its sister channels, Geo Tez and Geo Entertainment, and the withdrawal of their licences, but they were immediately overruled by other Pemra members.

Amnesty International said the Pakistan government’s suspension of Geo TV, the country’s largest private broadcaster, was a politically motivated attack on the freedom of expression and the media.

“The suspension of Geo TV is a serious attack on press freedom in Pakistan. It is the latest act in an organised campaign of harassment and intimidation targeting the network on account of its perceived bias against the military,” said Amnesty International’s Asia Director Richard Bennett in a statement on Friday.

“The Pakistani authorities must immediately reverse this ban. If there are concerns about the content of Geo TV broadcasts, the authorities should address this in line with international human rights standards – not simply move to silence a critical voice.

“The suspension of Geo TV sadly fits an all too familiar pattern in Pakistan. State authorities and other political actors use any means they can to silence critical reporting, from the use of anti-state and anti-religion provisions of the law to physical attacks and violence,” said Richard Bennett.

In a report released on 30 April, Amnesty International documented how media workers in Pakistan live under the constant threat of harassment, violence and killings from a range of state and non-state actors.

Several Jang Media Group journalists have told the Amnesty International that they have received daily threats and harassment by unknown individuals by phone and in person.Many said they dare not enter their offices or identify themselves as belonging to Geo TV or other Jang Media Group outlets for fear of being attacked.“Pakistan’s vibrant media scene deserves better protection, and journalists must be able to carry out their legitimate work without fear or interference,” said Richard Bennett.

The News

The Pakistani authorities should immediately investigate the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the military’s premier spy agency, over its alleged involvement in journalist attacks, said the Amnesty International on the third anniversary of the abduction and killing of journalist Saleem Shahzad.

“Failure to investigate such incidents thoroughly, impartially and transparently and to hold perpetrators accountable fosters a culture of impunity for attacks against independent media in Pakistan,” said David Griffiths, Asia-Pacific Deputy Director at Amnesty International.

In an open letter, Amnesty International and nine other human rights organisations called on the Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to fulfil his promise to end the impunity enjoyed by individuals and groups who attack journalists.

The nine other organisations are: Article 19 (UK), Human Rights Watch, Committee to Protect Journalists, Freedom House, International News Safety Institute, Internews, Pakistan Coalition on Media Safety, Pen International and Reporters Without Borders.

“Saleem Shahzad’s killing was one of the worst manifestations of the threats journalists face across Pakistan every day. The authorities’ inability to investigate officers of the ISI properly and bring to justice those responsible for Shahzad’s death is unacceptable – he was abducted in broad daylight in the heart of Islamabad, the national capital,” said David Griffiths.

“Pakistan must immediately restart the criminal investigation into Shahzad’s death, as has been promised by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on multiple occasions. Events of the past few weeks have again highlighted how precarious the situation for Pakistani media is. Continued impunity will only fuel the violence.”

Last month journalist Hamid Mir narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in Karachi. He has accused the ISI of being responsible for the attack.

“According to Amnesty International’s research, the ISI is the state organ most regularly accused by journalists of carrying out harassment, intimidation or abuse against them or their colleagues. This does not necessarily mean that the ISI is always to blame. But if ISI officials are innocent of the accusations they have nothing to fear from thorough investigations and due process,” said David Griffiths.

“We cannot determine who exactly is responsible for these high-profile attacks against journalists until there is proper investigation. All suspects must be presumed innocent until proven guilty and afforded a fair trial in line with international standards.”

To demonstrate their expressed commitment to the rule of law and respect for human rights, Amnesty International calls on the ISI and all other state institutions to cooperate fully with the criminal investigations into the Shahzad, Mir and other attacks.

Saleem Shahzad, an Asia Times Online correspondent, was abducted on 29 May 2011 in Islamabad, and his body was found dumped two days later bearing marks of torture. Shahzad had written articles on a range of sensitive national security issues, including alleged al-Qaeda infiltration of the Pakistani military and the state’s relationship with the Taliban.

Less than a year before his death, Shahzad had told colleagues of an alleged death threat from the ISI. The Pakistani government in 2011 set up a high-level investigation into his death but key evidence mysteriously disappeared and no one has yet been brought to justice.

At least 34 journalists have been killed in relation to their work in Pakistan since the restoration of democracy in 2008, but in only one case during this period have the perpetrators been brought to justice.

In a report released last month, Amnesty International documented how media workers in Pakistan live under the constant threat of harassment, violence and killings from a range of state and non-state actors.

Since the release of the report, a standoff between the country’s largest private broadcaster Geo TV (part of the Jang Media Group) and the authorities has intensified after the network accused the ISI of being behind the assassination attempt on journalist Hamid Mir.

Several Jang Media Group journalists have told Amnesty International that they have received daily threats and harassment by unknown individuals by phone and in person. Many dare not enter their offices or identify themselves as belonging to Geo TV or other Jang Media Group outlets for fear of being attacked.

“There is absolutely no justification for the vicious, organised campaign of harassment against Jang Media Group staff across Pakistan,” said David Griffiths.“It is particularly disappointing that rival media channels and some political parties have joined the chorus to attack Jang Media Group, rather than demand a full and impartial investigation of the circumstances surrounding the attack on Hamid Mir.”

Some government officials have also tried to pull Geo TV off the air over allegedly “anti-state” and “blasphemous” content, and up to 80 percent of Jang Media Group’s distribution in print and on the airwaves has been disrupted by media industry bodies, apparently under the orders of the Pakistani military.

“Attempts to take Geo TV off the air are clearly politically motivated, and constitute a serious attack on freedom of expression in Pakistan,” said David Griffiths.“The last thing Pakistan needs now is a mudslinging campaign against Geo TV, the ISI or anyone else. Pakistan’s long-suffering journalists deserve protection from attacks and justice when they fall victim to abuse. It is the responsibility of Prime Minister Sharif’s government to deliver both. They should start by immediately resuming the investigation into Shahzad’s death.”

Following is the text of the letter:

OPEN LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER NAWAZ SHARIF

Joint statement of shared concerns about attacks on journalists in Pakistan

29 May 2014

Dear Prime Minister

Three years ago today, journalist Saleem Shahzad was abducted a short distance away from his Islamabad home and later found dead, his body bearing marks consistent with torture. We, the representatives of the undersigned group of civil society organisations working in human rights and media, call on you to fulfil your promise to end the impunity enjoyed by individuals and groups who threaten, attack, abduct, torture and kill journalists in Pakistan. In order to address these attacks on journalists, we urge you to follow through on the commitments you made in March, and as a first phase country for the UN Action Plan on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, and to take further concrete steps along the lines set out below.

Based on our collective experiences monitoring human rights globally, Pakistan is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists, judging by the severity and extent of threats and attacks on media professionals due to their reporting. Dozens of journalists have been killed in Pakistan in direct response to their work over the last decade. At least eight journalists have been killed since your government came to power in June 2013.

Journalists and other media workers from across Pakistan face harassment, abduction, torture and attempts on their lives by state intelligence officers, members of political parties and armed groups like the Taliban. Journalists reporting on national security and human rights, and those reporting from the conflict-affected northwest, violence-ravaged Balochistan and the city of Karachi are most at risk as they rarely enjoy protection from the state or support from their employers.

We are deeply concerned at the failure of successive Pakistan governments to carry out prompt, impartial, independent and thorough investigations into abuses against journalists, or to bring those responsible to justice. Attempts on the lives of Hamid Mir and Raza Rumi and the abduction and killing of Saleem Shahzad exemplify the enduring challenge to justice when journalists come under attack: as far as our organisations are aware, no one has been brought to justice for any of these attacks. Only in two cases of journalist killings have the perpetrators ever been convicted in Pakistan.

The failure to bring those responsible for attacks on journalists to justice sends a signal that the media can be silenced through violence and that the perpetrators can literally get away with murder and other abuses. It also has a chilling effect on freedom of expression in Pakistan, with journalists increasingly resorting to self-censorship to avoid the risk of harm.

It is the Pakistan government’s duty under international law to protect the rights to life, liberty and freedom from torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment of all individuals within its territory and under its jurisdiction, including journalists. As a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Pakistan must also ensure the media is free to carry out its critical function of facilitating and promoting freedom of expression, as guaranteed by Article 19 of the ICCPR. Journalists play a vital role in exposing human rights abuse. Ensuring that journalists are able to undertake their work free from harassment and abuse is therefore an essential cornerstone in the protection and promotion of human rights in Pakistan.

We call on your Government to urgently take the following steps, in line with Pakistan’s international legal obligations, so that journalists may carry out their work free from harassment and abuse:

* Re-start the criminal investigations into the abduction and killing of Saleem Shahzad, as promised by the current Pakistan government, and ensure that all potential suspects, including members of any military and intelligence authorities, are subjected to a full, independent and impartial investigation.

* Ensure prompt, thorough, independent and impartial investigations into human rights abuses against journalists, including abductions, enforced disappearances, torture and other ill-treatment, extrajudicial executions and other unlawful killings.

* Ensure that all persons suspected of crimes involving human rights abuses against journalists, regardless of their status, rank or affiliation with state or non-state groups, are brought to justice in fair trials without recourse to the death penalty.

* Implement the Prime Minister’s announced plan to establish a public prosecutor at the federal and provincial levels tasked with investigating attacks against journalists, and ensure that it is independent, adequately staffed and resourced, and has authority to investigate the military and intelligence services in addition to civilians. Also implement the Prime Minister’s commitment to expedite the prosecution of the killers of journalists by changing trial venues and expanding witness protection programs.

* Ensure, in line with the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, that media companies adhere to requirements on due diligence, health and safety, among other standards in national law and policy; and introduce systemic legal and policy reforms where such requirements either do not exist in national law or are inadequate.

We welcome your concern about the situation for journalists in Pakistan and look forward to the Pakistan government taking real steps to improve the working environment for journalists in Pakistan.

Yours faithfully

1. Amnesty International – Salil Shetty, Secretary General

2. Article 19 (UK) – Thomas Hughes, Executive Director

3. Committee to Protect Journalists – Joel Simon, Executive Director

4. Freedom House – Karin Karlekar, Project Director, Freedom of the Press

5. Human Rights Watch – Brad Adams, Executive Director, Asia Division

6. International News Safety Institute – Hannah Storm, Executive Director

7. Internews – Jeanne Bourgault, President

8. Pakistan Coalition on Media Safety – Owais Aslam Ali, Head of Secretariat

9. Pen International – Ann Harrison, Programme Director

10. Reporters Without Borders – Christopher Deloire, Secretary-General

The News

Pakistan was one of the many countries that adopted the United Nations Convention on Torture in 1984. And Amnesty International (AI) has accused those very governments around the world, including Pakistan, of betraying their commitments to stamp out torture made when they adopted the convention three decades ago.

As part of its two-year Stop Torture campaign launched earlier this week, it also released a media briefing, Torture in 2014: 30 Years of Broken Promises, which provides an overview of the use of torture in the world today. Pakistan’s law enforcers and spy agencies are featured in the report.

“In Pakistan, we have documented widespread use of torture by the police and other security forces in many different contexts and regions. Security laws enable state security forces to commit human rights violations like torture with impunity beyond the reach of the law. From Karachi to Balochistan, thousands of men and boys have been arbitrarily detained,” said AI’s Pakistan researcher Mustafa Qadri.

“Many victims and their relatives allege they have been subjected to torture, are held in secret places of detention. Some are never seen alive again and are later recovered dead with their bodies bearing marks of torture. Investigations into such cases are extremely rare and ineffective even when they do take place.”

However, a sad reality is that torture is more or less accepted in Pakistan as a legitimate – and needed – means of interrogation.

In Amnesty International’s “Stop Torture Global Survey: Attitudes to Torture”, 56% of those surveyed think torture is sometimes necessary and acceptable to gain information that may protect the public. This number was one of the highest in Asia, but it was lower in comparison to the survey of a similar sample in China and India, respectively.

Akmal Wasim, the head of litigation and research at the Karachi Legal Aid Office, believes that there is acceptance of torture because there is a misconception prevalent among the people. “People confuse torture with violence. Torture is something that definitely or temporarily for a long period destroys the personality and alters the character of the victim,” he told The Express Tribune. “Unless the grey areas around torture are cleared up, people, legislators and judges cannot understand the horrendous consequences of torture.”

There is a need to bring in the definition of torture in the penal code or the General Clauses Act, 1897, Wasim argued. “We should import the entire text of Article 1 of the Convention on Torture into the prohibition. Only then we can move towards legislation and other ways to stamp out torture.”

However, he does not see a law on torture anytime soon. “The Ministry of Human Rights has prepared its own law on torture, but we have reservations against it.”

Express Tribune

At the launch of Amnesty International’s global campaign, ‘Stop Torture’, on Monday, the human rights organisation said that torture isn’t limited to a few rogue states, but is endemic throughout the region.

Richard Bennett, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Director, said that Asian countries must stop paying lip service to their commitment to end torture. “Signing up to the international treaties is important but not enough. It must be backed up with concrete action.”

Amnesty said that torture is used by governments against a range of individuals across Asia-Pacific. “It is used to force confessions or to silence activists in countries such as China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. Torture is used to extort money in places such as Myanmar and Nepal, where poor and marginalised people are unable to bribe their way out of being tortured,” said Amnesty.

The vast majority of people in Asia-Pacific, according to Amnesty, believe there should be clear laws against torture, but in China and India almost three quarters of respondents (74%) felt torture was sometimes necessary – the highest numbers in any of the countries polled. In Indonesia, Pakistan and South Korea the majority of respondents feared they could be tortured if taken into custody.

“The shocking fact that so many people fear torture – in some countries the majority of those polled – should spur authorities across Asia-Pacific into meaningful action by taking concrete steps to eradicate this horrific human rights violation,” said Richard Bennett.

According to Amnesty, in Pakistan torture is frequently practiced by police, intelligence services and the army, in particular in the conflict-ridden Tribal Areas or Balochistan. Amnesty International has received report of torture used on human rights defenders, lawyers and journalists among others.

Amnesty International called on governments in Asia-Pacific to put in place protective mechanisms to prevent and punish torture – such as impartial medical examinations, prompt access to lawyers and courts, independent checks on places of detention, effective investigations of torture allegations, the prosecution of suspects and proper redress for victims.

Amnesty International’s Pakistan researcher Mustafa Qadri told The News that the Amnesty has documented widespread use of torture by the police and other security forces in many different contexts and regions.

He told: “Security laws enable state security forces to commit human rights violations like torture with impunity beyond the reach of the law. From Karachi and Balochistan province in the south to the tribal areas in the northwest, thousands of men and boys have been arbitrarily detained. Many victims and their relatives allege they have been subjected to torture, are held in secret places of detention. Some are never seen alive again and are later recovered dead with their bodies bearing marks of torture. Investigations into such cases are extremely rare and ineffective even when they do take place.”

He added: “Many journalists in Pakistan, in particular those covering sensitive national security issues or human rights abuses, live with the constant threat of abductions and torture.

“The global survey we commissioned revealed a palpable fear of torture in Pakistan. Almost 60% of Pakistanis reported that they would be afraid of torture if taken into custody, while more than 80% said there needed to be clear rules are needed to fight torture.”

The News

In a recent report titled “A bullet has been chosen for you – attacks on journalists in Pakistan” the Amnesty said that members of Pakistan’s spy outfits, the MQM, the PPP and Taleban affiliated sectarian outfits were involved in the widespread torture and harassment of journalists in Pakistan.

MQM leaders Dr Farooq Sattar, Mustafa Azizabadi, Babar Ghauri, Saleem Danish and several others led the protest outside the Amnesty International’s London headquarters. MQM workers carried placards saying: “why Amnesty International is silent on MQM’s missing persons”, “Amnesty stop negative propaganda against MQM”, “Amnesty International – substandard reporting is damaging its reputation”.

The MQM leader said that they had gathered outside the Amnesty headquarters to peacefully demonstrate their anger and frustration on the publication of Amnesty’s report about threats to journalists in Pakistan. They said that the allegations against the MQM that it was involved in harassment, torture and killings of journalists was “highly objectionable and baseless”. They said that the contents of the report showed that the credibility of the Amnesty has been brought under serious question in the eyes of the people of Pakistan, “particularly people of urban areas of Sindh province”.

The speakers said that the MQM is “opposed to all forms of exploitation” and is “committed to eradicating the medieval feudal system and hereditary politics in Pakistan which have bled the country since its inception”. They speaker said the MQM had nothing to do with the killing of Geo reporter Wali Khan Babar and his murder was being used by the opponents of the party to malign it.

A petition presented to Amnesty International’s secretary general Shalil Shetty said: “The reference made to para 31 of the judgment in the Karachi Law and Order case for the point that the Supreme Court of Pakistan has linked the killings of 92 policemen with MQM. This amounts to misleading the world, as neither in the said para 31 nor anywhere in the judgment it has been observed that the killing of the said 92 policemen was linked to MQM. The reference made to the judgment of the Anti-Terrorism Court, Kashmore and Kandkot dated 1st March 2014. It has been claimed in the subject report, with reference to the said judgment, that the six accused were found to be target killers associated with the MQM. This is totally false as there is no such portion in the said judgment.”

The MQM strongly denied that it is linked to issuing threats to journalists from the print and electronic media, including Geo’s “Aapis ki Baat” host Najam Sethi. Speaking to Geo News, the MQM leaders demanded that the Amnesty should amend its report and also include the killing and enforced disappearances of hundreds of its workers from Karachi. It said that hundreds of MQM workers remained missing but not a word has been said about them by the Amnesty. They said that the Amnesty contacted the MQM in London for its version only after having completed the report. They said that the report was allegedly written with help from those in the media who are known for putting the MQM on trial all the time.

The MQM petition called on the Amnesty to form a “fact finding committee to visit Pakistan, particularly Karachi, to meet the victims and their relatives to witness firsthand the tale of atrocities committed against the MQM workers and their family members” and that the MQM should take “appropriate actions” to rescue and repair the damage caused to the reputation of the MQM and its leadership as a result of publication and distribution of the said report”.

The News

The report –A bullet has been chosen for you – said that attacks on journalists in Pakistan, describes how the authorities have almost completely failed to stem human rights abuses against media workers or to bring those responsible to account.

Amnesty International has documented 34 cases of journalists being killed in Pakistan in response to their work since the restoration of democratic rule in 2008, but only in one case have the perpetrators been brought to justice. But these killings are just the most brutal statistic–many more journalists have been threatened, harassed, abducted, tortured or escaped assassination attempts in the same period.

“Pakistan’s media community is effectively under siege. Journalists, in particular those covering national security issues or human rights, are targeted from all sides in a disturbing pattern of abuses carried out to silence their reporting,” said David Griffiths, deputy Asia-Pacific director at the Amnesty International.

“The constant threat puts journalists in an impossible position, where virtually any sensitive story leaves them at risk of violence from one side or another.” The report is based on extensive field research into over 70 cases and interviews with over 100 media workers in Pakistan. It examines several recent cases where journalists have been targeted for their reporting by a range of actors.

Daily Times