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| September 15, 2006 | Friday | Sha'aban 21, 1427 |
Baloch senators lash out at press
ISLAMABAD, Sept 14: While journalists boycotted Senate proceedings to press their demands on Thursday, Baloch nationalist senators complained that their speeches on the situation in Balochistan were not being given due coverage.
Dr Abdul Malik, Raza Muhammad Raza and Liaquat Ali Bangulzai criticised mediapersons, and said they should not be allowed to dictate terms on every issue.
They said freedom of the press was good but it should not be unbridled and media should not be allowed to take their decisions independently.
Acting Chairman Mir Jan Mohammad Jamali informed the house that he had always supported freedom of the press and recalled that he had turned down a proposal to stop newspapers’ advertisements to control them when he was chief minister of Balochistan.
Earlier, Minister of State for Interior Zafar Iqbal Warraich and Jamal Leghari of the Pakistan Muslim League pointed out the complete boycott of the press coverage of the proceedings in protest against the beating up of senior journalist C.R. Shamsi by the guards of the labour minister.
The Baloch senators said they supported just demands of mediapersons but any demand which was undemocratic should not be accepted by the government.
Mr Bangulzai of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal said: “While we support the principled stand of the mediapersons, we do not support anything which is against the norms of free press.”
Dr Malik was angry over what he termed blackout of very important speeches on Balochistan, including his own, which were delivered on the first day of the debate on former governor Nawab Akabar Bugti’s killing and the sentiments prevailing in the province after his death.
Babar Awan of the People’s Party Parliamentarians condemned the harsh treatment meted out to leading journalist at the hands of the guards of the minister and demanded a judicial inquiry into the case to fix responsibility and suggest punishment.
He recalled a statement of the Quaid-i-Azam that Balochistan could only exist in Pakistan, politically, geographically and economically; it would be in the interest of people of Balochistan to join the country’s constituent assembly as Pakistan alone could help them in their educational, social, economic and political uplift.
He said that although Balochistan was given the status of a province in 1969, but it was still treated as a colony. He said gas was discovered in 1955 but the province remained bereft of its benefits.
He alleged that the corrupt establishment of Balochistan had sold at throwaway prices the entire coast of Gawadar in connivance with the land mafia.
He demanded formation of a truth and reconciliation commission to address the grievances of the people of Balochistan.
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