LAHORE, June 6: The Commission for Peace and Human Development has cautioned the government against imposition of curbs on the media and harassment of journalists. Condemning the promulgation of Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority (Amendment) Ordinance, 2007, Commission Executive Director Waseem Anthony said that independent media was essential for the national security, solidarity and protection of institutions, but the government had given extraordinary powers to Pemra to muzzle the media through seizure of equipment, sealing of premises and suspension of licenses.

He said Pakistan was already at 157th position in the international ranking for press freedom out of 168 countries. Putting more restrictions on the media would bring no good name to the government under the circumstances, he added.

He said the media reflected society, whether the government liked it or not. By preventing the media from projecting a realistic picture of society the government would also be not able to know what was going on in the country, he warned.

He said freedom of expression and access to information was among the fundamental rights of every citizen under the Constitution and Universal Declaration of Human Rights should be protected. Information minister’s claim that the government had given freedom to the media and would maintain it looked ridiculous after the promulgation of Pemra Ordinance, he added.

He said the government attempts to harass journalists were also causing serious concern among media persons. He also condemned arrest of 200 journalists for staging a protest demonstration in Islamabad on Monday. Such tactics, he said, would prove detrimental for the government.