Tag: Press Freedom

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BJMAC slams closure of TV channels

QUETTA: The Balochis­tan Joint Media Action Commit­tee (BJMAC) has condemned closure of different news TV channels by cable operators because of threats allegedly issued by the Baloch Students Organisation (BSO).

The committee in a meeting held here on Thursday urged the government and the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority to play their role to solve the problem.

Cable operators in Quetta and various areas in the province stopped c of almost all news channels on Wednesday evening.

Speakers at the meeting said that if any organisation had any complaint it should approach the proper media forum to redress its grievances to resolve the problem amicably.

DAWN

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Gilgit court verdict challenged in Chief Court

rally for Geo

Editor-in-Chief of the Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman has challenged the verdict given by the court of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) filing an appeal against the ruling in the Chief Court of GB.

The Chief Court has also issued a formal notice to prosecution in this regard.It is hoped that the Chief Court of GB will dispense justice to the appellants.Meanwhile, Raja Shakeel Advocate said that the editor-in-chief of Jang Group was sentenced in absentia. Moreover, Muhammad Iqbal Advocate said that the ruling of the Anti-Terrorism Court was a sheer violation of the law.

The News

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Pakistan media staff injured as TV vans attacked

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) strongly condemn the attacks on Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG) equipment of various television stations on Islamabad on Sunday, November 30.

A number of unidentified people threw small explosives described as crackers, targeting the DSNG of Dunya News, Dawn News and Abb Tak News channels after the conclusion of a political rally at Faizabad Interchange. The attack left five media workers injured.

The attack took place after the completion of coverage of the political rally organized by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. The crackers were hauled at the parked DSNG vans from a motorcycle. According to reports, the crackers left an eight-inch wide and one inch deep crater at the site and damaged the TV vans.

DSNG engineer Ziaul Haq and cameraman Mohsin Ali of DawnNews, Nadir Hussain and Amir Ishfaq of Duniya News and Suleman Mubarik of Abb Takk News were injured in the incident who received treatment by Rescue 1122 medical staff on the spot.

The police have registered a case against unnamed attackers and are investigating what amounts of explosives were used.

The IFJ and the PFUJ demand immediate arrest of the culprits. The PFUJ is holding protest programs against the attack around the country.

The PFUJ said: “We condemn the incident and consider it an act of terrorism to threaten media to stop them showing truth. Such incidents cannot stop media men to perform their duties to show people the truth.”

Jane Worthington, the acting director of the IFJ Asia-Pacific said: “Attacks on television channels has become routine in political rallies in Pakistan; it is a cowardly act and becoming part of Pakistan’s culture of impunity. The IFJ condemns the attack and urge the government to ensure safety and security of journalists on the field.”

International Federation of Journalists

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Protests in various cities against attacks on channel vehicles

MQM protest

LAHORE: On the call of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) President Afzal Butt, various journalist bodies including Punjab Union of Journalists (PUJ), Council of Pakistan Press Clubs (CPPC) and Lahore Press Club (LPC) held a protest demonstration here on Monday against cracker attacks on digital satellite news gathering (DSNG) vehicles of private TV channels in Islamabad.

CPPC Convener Arshad Ansari said crackers attacks on DSNGs during event coverage showed poor security arrangements. PFUJ Vice President Mudassir Khan, PUJ President Waseem Farooq Shahid, senior journalist Deen Muhammad Dard, Pervez Altaf, Shadab Riaz, Ghulam Mujtaba Bajwa, Nasira Attique, Attiya Zaidi, Marwa Ansar Chaudhry, Hafiz Rizwanul Haq, Shabbir Hussain Toori and Comrade Zawwar Hussain address the protestors.

Protest demonstrations against crackers attacks were also held in Faisalabad and Gujranwala. In Gujranwala, the demonstration was led by Press Club President Tariq Munir Butt. Others who attended the demonstration were senior journalist Muhammad Akram Malik, Dr Umar Naseer, Mirza Iqbal, Raja Habib, Rana Ansar Shahzad, Ghulam Fareed Sandhu and others.

In Faisalabad, print and electronic media employees organised a protest rally from Press Club to Kutchery Bazaar, which culminated at Zila Council Chowk. News Cameramen Association General Secretary Nasir Malik, senior journalists Hassam Qazi Mian Munawar and Muhammad Shafiq addressed the rally.

Our Correspondent adds from Bahawalpur: On the call of the PFUJ, the Bahawalpur Union of Journalists members staged a demonstration against increasing attacks on journalists, particularly on cameramen of electronic media and DSNGs of various channels in Islamabad recently.

The protesters, led by PFUJ Vice-President Muhammad Ameen Abbasi, chanted slogans against the attacks at Chowk Fawara. Addressing the protesters, Ameen Abbasi said violence against media men and particularly against the country’s largest media group ‘Jang Group’ was not tolerable. He asked the government to take concrete steps for protection of journalists and media-related staffers.

The News

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GB court ruling against Jang Group ridiculous, says Ansar Burney

petition against Geo

KARACHI: Human rights activist and former federal minister for human rights Ansar Burney has termed the ruling against chief of Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and others awarded by Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) court ridiculous in the judicial history, says a press release issued on Monday.

Ansar Burney said that several questions were being emerged through filing of case against Geo by the murderers of humanity and through hurriedly announced ruling of the court while the GB court had no jurisdiction to hear this case.

He said that the magistrate of Gilgit-Baltistan areas had also declared Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and others as proclaimed offenders in the same offence which had caused nothing but humiliation across the world.

He said that firstly the case could not be filed in anti-terrorism court and secondly the concerned court did not announce verdict against the petitioner and witness who were involved in killing of several people. He said that the so-called ruling of the court was contempt of justice.

Ansar Burney appealed to the prime minister to put an end to this ruling against chief of Jang Group and others by using his constitutional power. He asked the Gilgit-Baltistan government to purge their courts of such persons who are making courts a laughing stoke in the name of justice.

He said that the verdict of Gilgit-Baltistan court should be condemned which had become the cause of defamation of the nation and country across the world. He also demanded that investigation into this act should be carried out.

The News

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Low powered explosives hurled at television channels’ vans, staff injured in Islamabad

Unknown motorcycle riders hurled low powered explosive devices, commonly called crackers, at digital satellite news gathering (DSNG) vans of private TV channels Dawn News, Dunya News and Abb Tak News at Islamabad on Sunday, November 30 injuring five media professionals.

The incident occurred after a political rally, organized by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) when two men on a motorcycle hurled crackers at the parked DSNG vans of Dawn News, Dunya News and Abb Tak News channels. Five media personnel, DSNG engineer Ziaul Haq and cameraman Mohsin Ali of Dawn News, Nadir Hussain and Amir Ishfaq of Duniya News and Suleman Mubarik of Abb Takk News were injured who received treatment by Rescue 1122 medical staff on the spot. The DSNG vans were partially damaged in the attack.

No one claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Police registered a case against unnamed attackers and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Islamabad Asmatullah Junego said the target was the DSNG of Dawn News.

President of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) Rana M Azeem and Secretary General Amin Yousuf strongly condemned attack and demanded that that the culprits be captured and put behind the bars. “We condemn the incident and consider this a terrorism to threat media to stop them showing truth. Such incidents cannot stop media men to perform their duties,” Rana Azeem said.

Pakistan Press Foundation

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Media workers attacked

IT is well known that for those in the media business, Pakistan is a country full of occupational hazards. Here journalists are ‘advised’, threatened or even killed by a variety of actors if they refuse to toe the line.

The attack on media workers in Islamabad on Sunday appears to be part of this pattern of intimidation and violence. Five media persons were injured when unidentified attackers lobbed a cracker at DSNG vans returning from the PTI rally.

Two of the victims work for DawnNews, while employees of Dunya News and Abb Takk News were also among the injured.

Also read: DawnNews vehicle attacked in Islamabad, cameraman injured

A similar incident was witnessed in Karachi in January, when an Express News van was attacked. Unfortunately, in that incident — claimed by the banned TTP — lives were lost. The same media house’s offices in Karachi were also targeted in earlier attacks.

While claims of responsibility for the latest attack had not emerged at the time of writing, a committee has been formed to investigate the incident.

The number of actors who have attacked journalists and media workers in the past have included religious and separatist militants, as well as individuals reportedly associated with political parties.

Personnel apparently working for the security agencies have also been known to target media workers. So until more details of Sunday’s incident emerge, it will be difficult to fix the blame.

However, what past cases make clear is that almost anyone can commit acts of violence against the media in Pakistan, and get away with it. In this case too, how did the attackers disappear into the ether in the supposedly secure environs of Islamabad?

We hope the committee formed to investigate the matter pursues the case and does not end up with inconclusive results similar to those of committees past. And media houses need to close ranks to send a strong message to the state that violence against journalists will not be tolerated and those using intimidatory tactics against media workers must be made to face the law.

DAWN

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Dasti condemns propoganda against Jang Group

ALIPUR: MNA Jamshed Dasti has said he respects the services rendered by Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman in the field of journalism.Talking to journalists at the daily Jang office here on Sunday, he condemned the propaganda launched against the Jang/Geo Group. He said he valued daily Jang Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman’s services for the cause of journalism. He said he respected Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman by heart.

He said some media houses were involved in mud-slinging against one another, which was not good in any way. He said the malicious statements against the Jang/Geo Group had nothing to do with reality, adding that some private TV channels aired rumours about this group. He said he condemned these rumours. He also lauded the services of daily Jang Resident Editor, Multan, Zafar Aheer.

The News

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Ruling against Geo, Jang Group slated internationally

TOKYO: The efforts for independence of media in Pakistan will be impeded as a result of the verdict of a court in the country against editor-in-chief of the Jang Group and the most viewed, popular TV channel Geo News.

The International Union of Journalists at Japan International Press Club stated this in its announcement here on Sunday.The International Press Club urged the Government of Pakistan and superior courts of the country to take steps for providing transparent and impartial justice and ensuring independence of media.

The announcement opined that independence of media was the utmost need in the present circumstances in Pakistan and such partial and unjust verdict would result in worldwide humiliation for Pakistan and nurture falsehood.

The News