February 16, 2007	Friday	Muharram 27, 1428

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ISLAMABAD, Feb 15: Speakers at a protest meeting here on Thursday condemned ongoing spate of violence against mediapersons and stressed the need to give a hype to simultaneous media coverage of such incidents.

The meeting organised by South Asia Free Media Association in collaboration with Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists and Rawalpindi-Islamabad Press Club was also attended by representatives of the Khyber Union of Journalists.

Through a resolution, the media bodies expressed concern over the state of affairs of journalists vis-a-vis law and order situation and inability of law-enforcement agencies to protect life, property and working conditions of the journalists in the country.

The meeting condemned beating, abduction and killing of journalists in various areas. It was pointed out that the tribal areas and some parts of Balochistan and Sindh had virtually become no-go areas for mediapersons.

The speakers demanded immediate recovery of Sohail Qalandar, Resident Editor daily Express, Peshawar who has been missing since January 2.

Veteran trade unionist Minhaj Barna said government’s inability to recover the journalist belied its claims to have restored the writ of the state. “Where is the writ of the state,” he questioned.

He said there was a complete chaos in the country and constitutional, legal and physical violence against journalists was continuing unabated.

Noted journalist Talat Hussain called for a concerted media campaign to keep alive the issue of Qalandar’s abduction in particular and violence against journalists in general.

President Rawalpindi-Islamabad Press Club Mushtaq Minhas lamented that Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had expressed his ignorance about Qalandar’s abduction when the matter was raised with him.

Safma president Nusrat Javed said Pakistan was becoming the most dangerous country as far as the security of journalists was concerned. He said four journalists were killed last year alone.