KARACHI, April 13: Journalists’ staged a protest demonstration in front of Karachi Press Club on Friday evening to condemn the members of Karachi Bar Association who manhandled and beat media persons covering the KBA procession going from the city courts to the Quaid’s mausoleum on Friday morning.
They chanted slogans against the people who beat their colleagues and destroyed their cameras. They also urged the lawyers’ associations to take strict action and expel the black sheep from their ranks.
Earlier, a general body meeting of journalists was addressed by General Secretary Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) Mazhar Abbas, Vice President Pakistan Association of Press Photographers Mujeeb-ur-Rehman, President Karachi Union of Journalists Shamim-ur-Rehman, General Secretary Karachi Press Club Imtiaz Khan Faran, and other senior journalists.
They condemned the attack on journalists by KBA members and termed it an ugly incident. They said journalists had always faced trials, tribulations and gone to prison to fulfill their professional duties. They said journalists were fully supporting lawyers in their struggle.
Journalist also condemned the lawyers’ action of registering a case with Soldier Bazaar Police Station against the newsmen and said that it was another blunder of lawyers to instigate and challenge the entire journalists’ fraternity. They said journalists did not believe in registration of FIRs, counter allegations and were ready to face the legal action initiated against them.
The journalists’ meeting decided to continue covering the lawyers’ campaign for the judiciary’s independence and strengthening of democracy and promotion of civil society in the country. “We will not request lawyers to withdraw the FIR, but they should realise their blunder and withdraw the case.” They said if the black sheep, especially those who registered the case, were not expelled from KBA within three days, the journalists would decide their line of action in a general body meeting to be held on Tuesday at 4pm at the press club. The speakers, however, said that journalists doors were always open for negotiations on all issues and with anybody.
A conspiracy, PFUJ: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), strongly condemned the attack on journalists of print and electronic media, in which more than a dozen reporters and cameramen were injured by some lawyers as a conspiracy to divert the movement for rule of law in the country.
The PFUJ, in a statement demanded from the lawyers associations to take notice of the incident.
It said that the journalists community will foil all attempts to damage the movement for the rule of law. This is the third attempt to create a conflict between journalists and lawyers. First, journalists were beaten in Islamabad followed by another attempt in Lahore and now in Karachi. It could be an attempt to divert the campaign in which some lawyers were involved.
The PFUJ warned the lawyers bodies that the people involved in registration of FIR against journalists, issuance of Press Release in the name of some office-bearers of the Karachi Bar Association and announcement of boycott of courts against the journalists are part of the conspiracy. It demanded from the Karachi Bar Association to take action against the lawyers involved in the incident.
APNS President Hameed Haroon condemned the incidents of violence against journalists that took place in Karachi and Islamabad yesterday.
“We deplore the violence in Karachi by protesting lawyers inflicted upon journalists as we do the unprovoked beating meted out to Shabbir Solangi, senior correspondent of Daily Kawish and its sister TV network by Peoples Party MNA from Punjab Murtaza Satti.
We at the APNS reject all forms of violence against the Press in general and against journalists in particular. The right to free expression is enshrined in Article 19 of the Constitution.
Citizens and political groups have every right to disagree with our stand with respect to press freedoms. But this right to disagree cannot be extended to cover the inflicting of violence or the use of coercive methods against organisation of the press and individuals, whether this be from a sitting member of the National Assembly or members of various lawyers associations. We can not concede this right to the opposition anymore than we could to the government when police in Islamabad attacked a newspaper office last month.
One of the problems is that even where responsibility is easy to ascertain, follow up action is not taken. A fuller government response finally establishing culpability and meting out a desired punishment to those high ups responsible for last month’s violence against the Press in Islamabad would spur Makhdoom Ameen Faheem of the PPP or office bearers of the Karachi Bar Association unto similar action.
The President APNS also announced the appointment of Syed Owais Aslam Ali of PPI a respected international human rights activist as the APNS President’s Special Emissary on Violence & Coercion against the press for the period 2007-08. The Special Emissary’s report on press freedom will be presented at the Annual Meeting of APNS General Council at the end of this period annually and its contents will be made public.
SHCBA condemns: Our Staff Reporter adds: Strict disciplinary action will be taken against any member of the Sindh High Court Bar Association found involved in attacking media personnel. This was said by SHCBA President Abrar Hasan on Friday afternoon.
He said the association would inquire into ‘the ugly incident’ and take appropriate action if any SHCBA member was found to have caused any ‘physical or material’ damage or loss to journalists. Apologising to the media, he said certain quarters were interested in subverting and sabotaging the lawyers’ campaign.
The Sindh Bar Council Vice-Chairman, Mohammad Amin Lakhani and members Sadiq Hidayatullah, Fahim Riaz Siddiqui, Zia Ahmed Awan, Sathi Ishaq, Mustafa Lakhani, Abdullah Chandio and Khalil Ahmed Dogar said the freedom of the media was as important as the independence of the judiciary. The media, they added, has played a crucial role in projecting the cause of the Bar and there should be no misunderstanding between the two professions.
KBA unhappy: Vice President Karachi Bar Association (KBA) Qadir Khan and General Secretary Naeem Qureshi in a statement from Islamabad condemned the incident and termed it conspiracy against the understanding between lawyers and journalists.
They appreciated the efforts of journalists for the independence of judiciary and supporting the lawyers’ campaign for reinstatement of the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry. They said hidden hands were active to sabotage the lawyers’ ongoing campaign and said that they had always held journalists in high esteem.
They vowed to unveil the faces involved in the conspiracy. They also condemned Chief Minister Sindh and federal minister for information and broadcasting for, what they described, their efforts to cash the exploit the situation. They accused the government of playing its role in the incident.
MQM condemns: Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Altaf Hussain has condemned what he called brutality on journalists and cameramen.
In a statement released from London, he said that staging peaceful protest is the lawful and constitutional right of the legal fraternity but they need to control their emotions during the protests and desist from violence on the journalists and lawyers having different views and opinions. He appealed to lawyers to remain peaceful and not allow their protests to be exploited by the political parties to serve their agenda.
Expressing sympathy with the injured journalists and cameramen, Mr Hussain demanded of the government to investigate the incident and award exemplary punishment to the perpetrators.
Advisor to Chief Minister Sindh on Home Affairs Waseem Akhtar condemned the ugly incident.
He said that government of Sindh would compensate the journalists for the damages. He also issued directives to the CCPO Karachi to probe into the incident and submit a report to him.
