LAHORE, March 1: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has condemned stopping of government advertisements to a group of publications and harassment of individual journalists by the government.

"In a climate of increasing harassment and intimidation of publications and individual journalists, the reports that government advertisements for the Nawa-i-Waqt group of publications have been stopped indicates the continuation of a dangerous trend," says a statement issued on behalf of HRCP chairperson Tahir Muhammad Khan and secretary-general Hina Jilani here on Monday.

Condemning the actions taken by authorities to curtail press freedom, it noted with concern that measures directed against the media were becoming increasingly overt, while the level of hostility on display was heightened.

"Imposing financial hardships on a large group of publications which are pursuing an independent editorial policy, signals a ruthless determination to silence the voices opposing official policies.

"This only adds to the mounting evidence that pledges of media freedom mean nothing in real terms," the HRCP regretted. It reiterated its demand for framing laws to set aside the many tools available to the government to use against publications.

The HRCP was also disturbed to note that new media laws promulgated through on ordinance late in 2002 were yet to be enforced, meaning that at present no right to access information existed for people while many issues like the grant of declarations for new publications had been left as ambiguous.

Several cases of intimidation of owners, editors and journalists reported during the last one year heightened fears about the threat posed to freedom of expression and the air of harassment hanging over the media, it said.

Stressing the need for removing restrictions on the press for creating a true climate of democracy, it demanded creation of an atmosphere in which opinions of all kinds could be freely expressed without the risk of invoking the wrath of authorities, which had already in the past three years led to the shutting down of at least three publications and a similar danger to many others.