ISLAMABAD, May 2: Media in South Asian countries, including Pakistan, will observe the World Press Freedom Day on Tuesday to show solidarity with their counterparts in Nepal suffering a clampdown since King Gyanendra imposed direct royal rule in February.

To protest against this muzzling, South Asian Free media Association (Safma), a regional body of media practitioners, is holding meetings in big cities of Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka in collaboration with local press clubs and media organizations. Speakers will talk on media freedom in general and in Nepal in particular.

In Islamabad, the Safma, in collaboration with National Press Club and Rawalpindi-Islamabad Press Club, is holding a meeting at Envoy Continental Hotel, Fazle-i-Haq Road, Blue Area, Islamabad at 3.30 pm to express solidarity with the Nepalese media, which is under attack in that country and where hundreds of journalists have been detained.

In Lahore, the Safma in partnership with the Lahore Press Club and Punjab Union of Journalists has arranged a meeting of media people at 4:00 pm on May 3 at Nisar Usmani Hall of the club to express backing for the Nepalese media in their hour of trial and to raise voice for real press freedom in Pakistan.

Similar meetings are being held in Dhaka, New Delhi and Colombo to show complete support of the journalists’ community of this region with their Nepalese counterparts.

The king imposed sweeping curbs on the media as part of emergency rule earlier this year, which he said were necessary to fight against Maoists wanting to set up a communist state. But Nepalese journalists have been under attack from both sides in the violence, which has claimed 11,000 lives since 1996.

About half of Nepal’s newspapers have ceased to publish since the king seized power. A number of journalists have been detailed on charges of showing dissent. At least, 2,000 journalists have lost their jobs since the royal takeover and a further 1000 could be out of work if press censorship remains in place.

The Safma last month sent to Nepal a mission of media people from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh to know the situation of media. Sharing the agony of Nepalese journalists, the mission had promised to mobilise the media community in South Asia and the world to stand by them in the ordeal.