September 21, 2008	Sunday	Ramazan 20, 1429

DADU, Sept 20: Journalists have demanded that the federal and provincial governments take serious notice of the murder of TV journalist Haji Azeem Leghari and his two relatives, Ali Hassan and Mashooq Leghari, who were killed near Cinema Chowk over a month ago, and order arrest of the killers.

Speaking at the chehlum of the journalist at district council lawn on Saturday, they called for financial help for Legahri’s family and an end to attacks on journalists.

They said that feudal lords and influential persons who were supporting the accused should also be treated as accused.

President of Karachi Press Club Najeeb Ahmed said that journalists needed to be brave enough to support innocent people who had no say in society. If journalists fell prey to different fears then who would raise voice for them, he remarked.

He said that many journalists lost lives while performing duties and murder of journalist Leghari was one such example. He offered support of Karachi-based journalists to the reporters of interior Sindh and said that when Karachi’s journalists received news of his murder they boycotted Sindh Assembly session and held condolence meetings at the press club.

Khursheed Ahmed Abbasi said that journalists of interior Sindh had always faced problems and they had always been targets of feudal lords. Reporting was not an easy job for them because they made many enemies during the course of their duty, he said.

The president of Naushahro Feroze press club Zahid Rajpar said that the government was not providing any protection to journalists. Jaffar Memon said that the journalists were united on one platform and a struggle should be launched against the killing of journalist.