HRCP says amendments aimed to terrorize press: Defamation law
By Our Correspondent
PESHAWAR, Aug 4: The Human Rights Commission Of Pakistan (HRCP) has condemned the proposed amendments to the Defamation Ordinance, 2002, and said it aims to terrorize the press.
In a press statement issued here on Wednesday, HRCP chairperson Tahir Mohammad Khan and general secretary Hina Jilani said the amendment which sought to make defamation a criminal offence under the Pakistan Penal Code, seemed to specifically target publications.
It was obviously aimed at terrorising the press, they said. The HRCP stood by press bodies opposing the law, and backed their position that it would have a negative impact on free expression, they said.
"While it can only be hoped that the prime minister is sincere in his assurance that the amendment will be reconsidered, the problem lies in the broader government policies that target the media," the statement said.
It was a move to clamp down individual journalists through intimidation and browbeat the media into submission through tactics such as the withholding of advertisements, which had been growing increasingly over the past two years.
The HRCP has drawn repeated attention to the media laws promulgated in 2002, which act to curb free expression. Despite the strong reservations voiced by bodies representing newspaper editors, owners and professional journalists on the laws, the calls made to amend them have gone unheeded, the statement said.
While the Freedom of Information Law, promulgated in 2002, has been enforced a few weeks ago, working journalists and other citizens complain it remains impossible to obtain information.
The rules of procedure insist on the provision of detailed dates, titles and serial numbers in request for any information, and since these are frequently unavailable, access to official documents in effect remains as restricted as before, they said.
As far as the dangers faced by journalists were concerned, the HRCP said that the arrest of Sarwar Mujahid in Okara several days ago, to prevent him from reporting on the violence faced by tenants on military farms, was just one indication of the growing threat.
Mr Mujahid had also been detained in 2003 for his reports on the situation on the farms, and charged with terrorist activities. Reporters in the tribal areas too face multiple restrictions that prevent them from performing duties.
The HRCP said the suggested amendments to the defamation law were aimed at strengthening it and easing the way for its use against publications. It was feared that this continued policy of repressing media freedom could lead to a deepening of frustrations already felt in society, they added.
The HRCP said that the root-cause for such feelings that were responsible for the growing social unrest in the country must be addressed rather than seeking to bully those highlighting them.
