November 23, 2007	Friday	Ziqa’ad 12, 1428

SWABI, Nov 22: The Gandhara Union of Journalists (GUJ) handed over a memorandum to the district coordination officer and the district police officer on Thursday, urging the authorities to lift curbs imposed on the print and electronic media.

Led by its president Mohammad Farooq, they visited the two officers for registering their protest against the continued targeting of their community by the law-enforcement agencies.

Mr Farooq said the closing down of private television channels had made it clear that the government had targeted the media but it could not stop the flow of information because international media openly castigated the government’s policies and tactics.

He said an independent media was vital for keeping a check on authorities and in a democratic set-up harsh restrictions could not be imposed on the media.

Meanwhile, the Jamaat-i-Islami held a demonstration against the imposition of emergency rule. JI leaders demanded the reinstatement of deposed judges and said that the judiciary’s independence was vital for strengthening various institutions. Without strong institutions, democratic order could not flourish in any country, they said.