TIMERGARA, Dec 18: Spea-kers at a dialogue held on Tuesday criticised the government for imposing curbs on freedom of speech, claiming that military rule was the cause of all the problems the country was facing.

The dialogue — “Independent Judiciary, Media and Election Commission is Necessary for Free and Fair Elections” — was organised by the coordination committees of civil society organisations at the Timergara Press Club. Lawyers, journalists, social society activists, educationists and notables of the area attended the dialogue, which was addressed by Timergara Bar president Abdul Hussain, Kifayat Yar, advocate, journalist Haroon Rashid, chairman of the district coordination committee Akbar Khan and others.

They criticised the amended Pemra Ordinance 2007, and termed the restrictions on the freedom of expression and the media against fundamental rights.

The speakers said that the political parties taking part in the elections were not sincere. They would be alleging after Jan 8 that the polls had been rigged.