APNS, CPNE, PBA, politicians, journalists, others slam ‘attack on freedom of press’ Compiled from dispatches and agencies

ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: The attack on the offices of Jang and Geo in Karachi by the workers of Sindh National Party (SNP) has drawn widespread condemnation.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain said the attack on the offices of Jang and Geo and harassing the staff is highly condemnable, said a statement of the MQM.

Altaf said if any individual or party has any complaint against any TV channel or newspaper, the protest could be launched in peaceful manner, but attack on the office is unfair.

The MQM chief urged for taking action against the elements involved in the attack and said freedom of media should be ensured at all costs.

He also condemned the attacks on the vehicles of Geo and Jang and demanded action against persons involved in setting the bundles on fire, attacking the newspaper stalls in various cities of interior Sindh and harassing the employees of Gang Group.

Altaf also expressed disappointment over inaction of police and administration against the persons involved in the attack. He demanded of the government to provide security to people associated with the media.

The All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS), in a statement, declared that violent tactics deployed by those who besieged the Jang Group premises is an un-welcome indicator of the growing trend of violence in the body politics of the country whereby a group of armed activists attempt to mould the media to their dictates.

“The APNS strongly condemns the attack on the premises of the Jang Group in Karachi by a group of political activists and is of the considered opinion that such vandalism and crude tactics to stifle press criticism will not be allowed to succeed,” said the APNS press release.

ìThis is not only a clear negation of press freedom, guaranteed by the constitution, but a major obstruction to the people’s right to be informed,” said the statement. ìThe media has braved such violence in the past from various sectarian, political and ethnic groups and even by the governments. The arm-twisting of the press by any group, even if it was the government, could only end up weakening the democratic dispensation in the country and paves the way for authoritarian successors,” it said.

ìThe APNS appeals to all the media companies, democratic political parties and human rights organisations in the country to strongly and openly condemn any acts of vandalism against the press establishments. It also unreservedly calls upon the Sindh chief minister to initiate immediate action to identify the organisers and mete out befitting punishment to the perpetrators of such criminal acts. Only a timely intervention by the provincial government will assure the community of journalists that the government intends to facilitate the press to perform its constitutional duty of informing the people without fear or favour,” the statement concluded.

Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) President Khushnood Ali Khan and Secretary-General Aamir Mehmood condemned the attack and ransacking the offices of the Daily Jang and The News in Karachi. They described it as an attack on the freedom of press.

In a statement, the two office-bearers said every newspaper and journalists’ organisation was free to devise its policy and pressurising newspapers or TV channels to change their policy was against the basic rights enshrined in the constitution.

They said the attack and ransacking the offices of newspapers and TV channels, manhandling the workers and staging a sit-in to shut their offices was a direct attack on the freedom of press.

Such steps taken by political parties or groups would only weaken democracy and civil norms and create problems for democracy, they added.

The Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) also condemned the attack of activists of a political party on the building of the Geo TV Network on Sunday evening.

This uncalled for act negates all forms of civilized methods of protest and amounts to be a serious attempt to stifle and strangulate the freedom of speech, expression and freedom of information of general public at large,” the PBA said in a press release on Monday.

PBA expresses complete solidarity with its member channel Geo TV Network against this act of violation and demands the government to take an immediate notice of the incident and take strong action against the responsible persons,” it said.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) Secretary General Mushahid Hussain Sayed strongly condemned the attack. He termed the attack on Jang and Geo office an attempt to stifle media freedom and to indirectly pressure the Supreme Court by sending it a signal of street power at a time when the court is hearing important cases of corruption of government leaders.

In a statement released by the PML-Q Media Centre, Mushahid said the government’s casual attitude to such pressure tactics clearly shows it is complicit with those committing such anti-media actions.

The PML-Q leader, while expressing solidarity with Jang/Geo, urged the government to learn lessons from past mistakes.

Mushahid also praised Jang and Geo for their principled stand to support the truth fearlessly.

The Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) also strongly condemned the attack on offices of Geo Television and Jang Karachi, billing it a conspiracy of the government against the freedom of expression.

In a joint statement here the PTI Secretary General Dr Arif Alvi, Information Secretary Omar Sarfraz Cheema and women wing president Fauzia Qasuri said the move was in the wake of Geo and Jang exposing the corruption in government quarters for which they had been punished by the rulers.

“The government’s conspiracy to muzzle the press, however, will not succeed as the people of the country are today politically conscious,” they contended. They demanded a judicial probe into the matter.

The journalist community of the twin cities held a protest demonstration against the siege of Geo and Jang offices on Sunday night and urged the government to ensure the security for the media organisations and journalists.

Speaking on the occasion, President Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) Ashfaq Sajid criticised federal and provincial governments for not taking any serious step to end the siege that ended after 10 hours.

He said that political activists who attacked the office seemed to have support of the government. He said the incident shows media is not free in Pakistan.

He said media always played a productive role in restoration of democracy and rule of law in the country. he said it was the media which never succumbed to the wishes of military dictator and helped ousting General (R) Pervez Musharraf.

The protesting journalists warned to launch a country-wide strike against government if such practices of harassing the journalists continued.

Chairman Ansar Burney Trust International, Ansar Burney Advocate also condemned armed attack on Jang and Geo offices.

Burney, while terming the attack as murder of the free press, said that attack on Jang Group under government patronage is an attack on journalism, said a press release.

Burney said that the Ansar Burney Trust has already collected details of attack on Jang Group and passed the same to the international press and human rights organisations.

The PML-Q Senior Vice President Syed Kabir Ali Wasti also condemned the siege of Jang and Geo office by the activists of SNP and termed it an attack on freedom of expression. He said Jang and Geo have been punished for exposing massive corruption and mismanagement of the government. He praised the brave stance of Jang and Geo and demanded of the government to take action against those responsible for the attack.

Members of Sindh Assembly described Sundayís violent protest of SNP’s workers in front of Geo and Jang offices as contrary to the democratic values.

Talking to Geo TV, they said they believe in free press and condemn such attack on media organisation.
Source: The News
Date:5/25/2010