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| March 17, 2007 | Saturday | Safar 27, 1428 |
Opposition walks out of assembly
QUETTA, March 16: Opposition parties in the Balochistan assembly staged a token walkout on Friday to express solidarity with journalists and to condemn fresh restrictions imposed on the media and police attack on the offices of a TV channel in Islamabad.
Earlier, members of the Balochistan Union of Journalist, led by Mujeeb Ahmad, staged a walkout from the press gallery to protest against federal Law Minister Wasi Zafar’s remarks against a senior journalist, new restrictions on media coverage of the judicial crisis and the attack on the TV channel offices.
On a point of order, opposition member Mir Jan Mohammad Buledi informed the chair about the journalists’ boycott.
The protesting journalists gathered outside the assembly building and held a demonstration.
They demanded that the restrictions on the media should be lifted and the law minister should be removed from the cabinet.
Later, speaking at a joint press conference, Opposition Leader Kachkol Ali and Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal strongly condemned the police attack on the offices of Geo TV, restrictions on the media and the minister’s remarks against a journalist.
They said the rulers were destroying state institutions and the attacks on the judiciary and the media were aimed at prolonging what they called their undemocratic and unconstitutional rule.
The opposition leaders said the government was using force against the people of Balochistan who were demanding their rights. They said hundreds of political workers had been arrested by agencies over the past two years.
They demanded action against the police personnel who had attacked the TV channel’s offices and lawyers who were protesting against the action taken against the Chief Justice.
Deputy Speaker Mohammad Aslam Bhootani also condemned the attack on the Geo TV offices and restrictions on the media.
BOYCOTT: Lawyers will boycott court proceedings on Saturday and will take out a procession in protest against police excesses against lawyers and media men in Islamabad and Lahore.
In statement issued here on Friday, Balochistan High Court Bar Association president Hadi Shakeel Ahmad said the decision was taken in view of the violence against lawyers and journalists.
He said lawyers would completely boycott court proceedings on March 17 and take out a procession in the city to condemn the excesses against media men, particularly the police attack on the offices of a TV channel in Islamabad.
Lawyers also observed a hunger strike from 9am to 2:30pm in Quetta and Pishin on Friday.
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