HYDERABAD, Nov 6: Journalists at a general body meeting of the press club on Tuesday urged the political parties, judges, lawyers and groups of people who had been supporting the military dictatorship to rethink their stand and become part of the mainstream.

The meeting presided over by the president of the club called upon people to launch a movement for the restoration of constitution, independence of judiciary and press and against the imposition of emergency.

If the unconstitutional, illegal and immoral orders of the generals were accepted, it would not only be a negation of the objectives of Pakistan but also a betrayal of the thousands of people who laid down their lives for Pakistan and democracy, the meeting observed.

The meeting condemned the arrest of political leaders and activists, judges, lawyers and journalists and demanded their immediate release and lifting of ban on private TV channels.

The meeting urged the cable operators to stand up for truth by resuming transmission of news channels and condemned harassment of journalists, siege of the press club by police and raids on the houses of journalists and offices of newspapers. The meeting condemned all the organisations, which had been supporting emergency and vowed to boycott all the official functions from then on.

The journalists staged a demonstration after the meeting within the club premises after police stopped them from coming out. A heavy contingent of police had virtually besieged the club from all sides.

Our Mirpurkhas correspondent add: Journalists organisations and the press club held protest meetings and hoisted black flags on their offices in Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Mithi and Sanghar in protest against the imposition of emergency and ban on media.

Journalists in Umerkot Mirwah Gorchani, Digri, Jhuddo, Naukot, Kot Ghulam Mohammad, Pithoro, Sindhri, Samaro and Kunri also protested against the ban on media and brutal torture of lawyers and media persons.