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| October 4, 2005 | Tuesday | Sha’aban 29, 1426 |
Demo against manhandling of journalists
MULTAN, Oct 3: Local journalists and news photographers staged a demonstration here on Monday to condemn the alleged highhandedness of the government-backed candidates for the top slots of the city district government and its allied town committees.
Leaders and workers of the opposition parties also joined in the protest. Prominent among the protesters were MNA Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, MNA Rana Mehmoodul Hasan, MNA Begum Naseem Chaudhry, MPA Nafees Ansari, Rafiq Rijwana, Ahmed Hasan Deharr and Khwaja Rizwan Alam.
The journalists protested against the alleged attack on some local reporters and photographers who wanted to bring into light the transportation of hundreds of elected UC members to Murree by the PML nominee ahead of the Oct 6 elections for the top slots of the local governments.
The opposition parties had been accusing the official nominee for the CDG top slot Mian Faisel Mukhtar and his team of denying them access to the electorate by keeping the voters at the tourist resort.
A reporting team of a local Urdu daily reportedly travelled to Murree and took photographs of some local councillors while they were picnicking and shopping there. The team was allegedly beaten up by some people who did not want the ‘activity’ to be exposed in the media.
Faisel Mukhtar and some of the official nominees for the town committees, including Shah Ruken-i-Alam and Mumtazabad, were said to be there in Murree on Sunday to seek assurance, under an oath, from the voters that they would not betray them on the polling day.
A sizeable number of women councillors were also said to be staying at the hill station along with their families.
Condemning the treatment meted out to the newsmen in Murree, the protesters termed it an attack on freedom of press. They demanded institution of cases against the people and their patrons who manhandled the journalists. The protesters marched from the Multan Press Club to the Nawan Shehr Chowk, chanting slogans in favour of free media.
Later, speaking at a press conference, Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the opposition had filed a petition with the Election Commission of Pakistan against making the electorate inaccessible.
However, the acting chief election commissioner told a news conference in Peshawar the other day that the complainants could not come up with ‘substantial evidence’ to support their claim that horse trading was at its peak in the areas where the ruling party candidates were facing a tough challenge.
‘Isn’t the media coverage of the ‘picnic party’ in Murree enough for the election commissioner to take notice of the situation?’ Qureshi asked, saying:‘I also have the video recording of what is going on in Murree to belie the government claims of a free and fair election.’
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