November 19, 2007	Monday	Ziqa’ad 08, 1428

TOBA TEK SINGH, Nov 18: On the call of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, a demonstration to protest curbs on electronic media was held outside the District Press Club (DPC) on Jhang Road here on Sunday.

Members of the press club, district union of journalists, lawyers and activists of opposition parties and civil society participated in the demonstration.

The demonstrators resorted to slogan-mongering, condemning the gagging of media particularly the shutting of private TV channels.

Later, a protest meeting was also held at the DPC, which was addressed by its president, Mian Manzoor Naz, and general-secretary Tariq Saeed, Kamalia Press Club President Rana Amjad and others. They demanded restoration of both the news channels, lifting curbs on media besides restoring the Constitution and revoking the emergency and the Provisional Constitution Order.

SHEIKHUPURA: A protest meeting to condemn curbs on media and banning TV channels was also held at the DPC here on Sunday.

The participants of the meeting chaired by DPC president Abdul Hammed Bhatti termed the recent clampdown a ‘brutal’ and ‘dictatorial’ act on part of Gen Musharraf’s government.

They also passed a resolution, urging the international press and media organisations to come forward to condemn Gen Musharraf’s actions to choke the local media.

It was also decided that a hunger-strike camp would be established in front of the club till the re-opening of news channels.

DPC Secretary-General Safdar Shaheen condemned the action terming it a backward journey from so-called ‘enlightened moderation’ to ‘obscurantism’.

Earlier, journalists wearing chains chanted slogans against Gen Musharraf.