March 18, 2006	Saturday	Safar 17, 1427

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KARACHI, March 17: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and the All Pakistan Newspapers Employees Confederation (Apnec) have declared they will continue the struggle for freedom of the press and free expression, which is essential for any democratic culture.

A resolution adopted in a meeting of the executives of the two bodies and released on Friday said while the situation with regard to press freedom today was much better than in the past, black laws were still being used to curb freedom.

There have been dozens of incidents in which such laws were used against journalists working in the print and electronic media. Many journalists were arrested and cases were registered against them.

The government used different kind of ‘pressure tactics,’ including use of intelligence agencies.

There had been instances in which hurdles were created in free access to information. Recently in Sindh, journalists were forcibly removed during the Senate elections.

The case of senior journalist Rashid Channa of The Star, Karachi, demanded an independent probe. Last year, he was abducted by intelligence agencies, but was later released. Last week, some unknown people entered his apartment in Karachi and took away his computer, press clippings file and some other documents.

The meeting also demanded release of all political prisoners in the country including PML-N president Javed Hashmi and urged the government as well as all political parties to promote a democratic culture in the country.