HYDERABAD, Nov 20: Police arrested 19 journalists and kept them in detention for a few hours in Hyderabad when they tried to bring out a rally like their colleagues in many cities and towns of the province on Tuesday in response to the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists’ call for countrywide protests against media curbs, amended Pemra Ordinance and imposition of emergency.

In Hyderabad there heavy contingents of police had been deployed outside the local press club since early morning where the journalists who had come from several districts including Hyderabad, Jamshoro and Matiari were planning to bring out a rally.

When they came out of the club wearing black armbands and carrying black flags and banners and tried to head towards DPO office roundabout a large number of baton-wielding police moved swiftly and moved them to Cantonment police station after herding them into a prison van.Police held 19 journalists including the president of Hyderabad press club Khalid Khokhar, Dawn correspondent M.H. Khan, Iqbal Mallah, Hamid Sheikh, Naz Sehto and two civil society representatives Abrar Kazi and Nazir Sheikh were arrested. They were detained at the Cantonment police station for three hours before their release following directives from senior police officials.

After the arrests, senior journalists including Aziz Malik, Ali Hassan, Zaheer Ahmed, Sohail Sangi, A.H. Abid, Shahid Sheikh and secretary of the press club Irfan Arain held a general body meeting at the press club and condemned arrests of their colleagues in Hyderabad and Karachi.

Former deputy opposition leader in Sindh Assembly Makhdoom Jamiluzzaman, former MPAs Sassui Palejo and Zahid Bhurgri visited the press club and expressed solidarity with journalists.

District Union of Journalists in Jamshoro and Kotri also held general body meetings, which condemned curbs on media and demanded lifting of ban on TV channels.

In Nawabshah, an urgent meeting of journalists condemned curbs on press and vowed to continue struggle till the lifting of ban. The Nawabshah chapter of the Pakistan People’s Party-SB also demanded lifting of ban on TV channels, release of all the workers and lawyers and lifting of emergency.

In Mirpurkhas, journalists staged a protest against the arrest of journalists in Hyderabad and Karachi and curbs on media. They wore black armbands and condemned police action against their colleagues who were peacefully recording their protest.