HYDERABAD: Lawyers and mediapersons on Tuesday continued their protest against attacks on the media and “judiciary” and demanded free press and judiciary in the country.
Lawyers continued their protest by observing a hunger strike at the high court, while mediapersons, under the banner of the Hyderabad Union of Journalists (HUJ), also observed a hunger strike outside the press club.
Chanting slogans against the police action against lawyers and journalists, the mediapersons along with lawyers demanded of the authorities to resolve the crisis as early as possible.
HUJ President Yaseen Rahi, General Secretary Farhan Effendi, senior journalists Malik Aziz, Abdul Hafeez Abid, Nadeem Khawar, Riasat Nagar and others attended the hunger strike camp outside the press club.
Speakers demanded action against the culprits behind the attack on The News and Geo TV offices in Islamabad and called for safety and security of the journalists.
Lawyers, including Fazal Qadir Memon and Noorul Haq Qureshi, also observed a hunger strike along with journalists in solidarity with them and announced their complete support for the journalists’ struggle.
Meanwhile, speaking at a “Point of view programme” of
the press club, noted lawyer
and member Pakistan Bar Council Yusuf Leghari said that he doesn’t see early end to the ongoing crisis and added that defeat of any of two institutions would not be in favour of the country.
He said lawyers are protesting the “attack on the judiciary”, and added that political parties should not take part in the protests of lawyers.
He termed the suspension of the chief justice “illegal and unconstitutional”, saying that they would not allow political parties to use their platform.
Our Jamshoro correspondent adds: The District Council Jamshoro on Tuesday passed a resolution against the attack on Geo TV and The News Islamabad offices.
The session held in Kotri was chaired by convener Abdul Hamid Buledi and attended by its members and district officers.
According to reports, member Syed Aamir Shah present a resolution to the House, which was passed unanimously after some reservations expressed by few members belonging to the ruling party.
The resolution strongly condemned the attack on Geo TV and The News offices and termed it a blow to national interest.
The council also took serious notice of the overflowing of Asia’s biggest freshwater Manchhar Lake, demanding that the level be immediately reduced. The council also approved new taxes. Mobile phone companies would now have to pay Rs 200,000 for the installation of new mobile coverage towers.
Tax was also imposed on six-wheel vehicles and four-wheel vehicles, while the monthly rent of district council buildings was doubled.
Private hospitals and clinics and drug stores were also brought under the tax net. The council took serious notice of 10 closed medical dispensaries in the district.
Meanwhile, intellectuals, political workers, social activists and mediapersons participated in large numbers in a silent protest march.
The march was organised here jointly by the Media Freedom Forum (MFF) and the Sindh Journalists Network (SJN).
Mediapersons, political workers, activists of the civil society, poets and intellectuals took part in the peaceful demonstration and the silent protest march, which started from the Jamshoro press club and went up to a railway crossing and a main road.
The march was led by Prof Badar Soomro of the Media Freedom Forum and Narejo RA of the Sindh Journalists Network (SJN) and attended by political, social and intellectual personalities like Pir Mushtaque Mirani, Haque Nawaz Dahri of the Sindh United Party, Sahib Khan Bhand of the Sindh Literacy Society, students of mass communications, HRCP activists and others.
Source: The News
Date:3/21/2007
