KARACHI, Dec 10: Speakers at a seminar unanimously called for the restoration of the judiciary to its pre-Nov 3 position and fundamental rights of the people and lifting of all bans imposed on the media.

This consensus was developed at a seminar ‘Freedom of press and human rights situation in Pakistan’ organised by the Karachi Union of Journalists on Monday to mark the International Human Rights Day.

The seminar, with the recently elected president of the Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA), Rasheed Razvi, as chief guest, was presided over by veteran trade unionist Minhaj Barna.

Speakers were of the view that the fundamental rights of people were usurped while the country was run by dictatorial regimes since its inception.

Mr Barna lauded the role of journalists, lawyers and civil society organisations in their joint struggle for the independence of the media and the judiciary. Their struggle would be written in golden words in history, he said.

Stressing the need for a joint struggle, Mr Razvi said that without making sacrifices no movement could achieve its goal.

The president of the Karachi Press Club, Sabihuddin Ghausi, said that over the last 60 years human rights were trampled in the country. —Our Reporter