Media men stage sit-in outside Sindh PA

Demand arrest of senior journalist’s killers

KARACHI:

The journalists on Wednesday protested inside and outside Sindh Assembly demanding arrest of robbers involved in the killing of senior journalist, Athar Mateen who was shot dead a few days ago. They also staged sit- in in front of the assembly gate that created gridlocks causing inconvenience for many lawmakers to go and come out from the assembly proceedings.

As the session started with speaker Agha Siraj Durrani in the chair, the reporters who cover the assembly session started the protest and walked out of the press gallery carrying placards demanding the arrest of killers of Mateen, a senior producer of SAMAA TV.

The opposition parties belonging to Pakistan Tahreek e Insaf (PTI) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) also followed journalists and chanted slogans against Karachi police and Sindh government over their failure to curb street crime.

'Resign karo resign karo, Murad Ali Shah resign karo', were the slogans chanted by PTI members. CM also holds the charge of home ministry. It is his utter failure to curb street crime and over all law and order situation, so he must resign," Bilal Ghaffar, PTI parliamentary leader in the assembly said.

On the other hand, the tense prevailed when journalists belonging to different organisations marched from Karachi Press Club towards the assembly. The police, Rangers and security staff of the provincial assembly closed main gates of the assembly that confined lawmakers inside and outside the assembly.

"A number of working journalists have either been killed or kidnapped in Karachi and other districts of Sindh. We demand to take action against those involved in their killings and kidnappings," said GM Jamali, President of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ).

During the protest, Karachi police chief, Ghulam Nabi Memon reached outside the assembly and assured the media persons that culprits involved in the killing of Amir Mateen would be arrested soon. After his assurance, the journalists disbursed.

Earlier, soon after speaker kicked off the assembly proceedings, the MPAs belonging to some different parties stood up and demanded that they should also be part of the select committee on controversial local government law.

Read DSP shot dead by own gunman in Hyderabad

After the brief discussion, members from all opposition parties and treasury benches were included in the select committee under the supervision of local government law that will debate and finalise the law in coming days.

Sindh Assembly also made an amendment to motor vehicle law to enhance the penalties on violating the traffic law. Later, the speaker adjourned the session till March 16.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24^th, 2022.