Journalists take to the streets to express anger

KARACHI: Outraged journalists across the country voiced their indignation on Saturday over a resolution passed against the media in the Punjab Assembly.

Staging protest rallies on the occasion of the call for a black day by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), journalists condemned the resolution as an attempt by the Punjab government to cover up for its failure to deal with terrorism and the fake degree issue.

The Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ) took out a rally from the Karachi Press Club to the Sindh Assembly, which was participated in by several government officials, journalists and leaders of political parties. Protestors claimed that the Punjab government had tried to  punish media men for the coverage of the fake degrees’ issue. President of the KUJ Khursheed Abbasi said that the media has played an important role in the struggle for the restoration of democracy in the country but the same democratic forces now want to curb its independence. Participants of the rally said that the so-called democratic parties cannot bear criticism and demanded that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-NB) leaders should seek an apology from the journalist community.

Meanwhile, over in Lahore, media personnel held demonstrations in front of the Punjab Assembly and were joined by office bearers of the Punjab Union of Journalists and other journalist bodies. A few politicians belonging to the PPP and the  PML-Q also took part in the protest as did members of the Punjab Assembly including Amna Ulfat, Samina Khawar Hayat and Rana Ikram Rabbani.

Media personnel in Islamabad, too, protested at a demonstration organised at the National Press Club, participants of which raised slogans against the Punjab government, demanding withdrawal of the resolution against the media. Talking to APP, president of the PFUJ Pervaiz Shaukat said that the resolution was a calculated move to undermine the role of media. “It is an attempt by the provincial government to divert public attention away from the government’s failure to cope with recent terrorist attacks in the province,” he said.

In Peshawar, journalists gathered holding placards inscribed with slogans against the members of the Punjab Assembly. Speaking on the occasion, the president of the Khyber Union of Journalists, Syed Bukhar Shah, said that sacrifices rendered by journalists for the strengthening of democracy are known to all. Likewise, the Balochistan Union of Journalists and the Quetta Union of Journalists held separate demonstrations.

With additional information by our correspondent Nauman Tasleem in Lahore, Shahzad Baloch in Quetta and Manzoor Ali in Peshawar

Published in The Express Tribune, July 11^th, 2010.