Malick allowed to continue as MD PTV

ISLAMABAD: A division bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) here Thursday allowed Managing Director (MD) Pakistan Television (PTV) Mohammad Malick to keep his job till he receives written orders of an IHC single bench.

An IHC single-member bench on June 24 had declared the appointment of the MD PTV as illegal and Mohammad Malick then challenged the orders through an intra-court appeal (ICA) before an IHC division bench.

The division bench comprising Justice Noorul Haq N Qureshi and Justice Athar Minallah however excused from hearing this ICA after Justice Athar Minallah said that the second contesting candidate against the post of MD PTV Jamal Shah had approached him for engaging him as counsel when the appointment of MD PTV was made by the federal government.

Counsel for Mohammad Malick, Akram Sheikh advocate however argued before the court that they have complete trust in the impartiality of the bench. Akram Sheikh referred to an article of law by virtue of which a judge could also suspend his own orders. Senior member in the bench Justice Qureshi said the bench would refer this matter to the IHC chief justice for appropriate order.

Akram Sheikh contended before the court that at the moment there was war on terror going on and the presence of national media was utmost important. “My client was properly appointed by a commission and till this time there is no written order of the IHC single bench,” he said.

He said the IHC single bench on June 24 had orally announced the orders and till this time there is no written order. The division bench then decided that this ICA will be heard by another division bench on Monday, June 30. However, the Mohammad Malick could keep up with his office as MD PTV till he receives written orders.Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui of the IHC on June 24 had declared the appointment of Mohammad Malick as illegal while observing that it was not made in a transparent manner.

We’ll change country’s fate if allowed to complete term: PM

 

MANSEHRA: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday said his government would change the fate of the country if allowed to complete its five-year term. He said this while inaugurating the 4,320 megawatt Dasu Hydropower Project in Kohistan.
Speaking at a gathering after inaugurating the project, the prime minister said the project would help overcome loadshedding and put the country on the road to prosperity and development. “Our government is not just making tall claims of starting mega development projects; we have started this mega project which will meet the energy needs of our country,” he said amid cheers by the locals.

Nawaz said that the project would be completed in record time with an estimated cost of Rs500 billion. “I am confident the people will reject the elements who are out to block the development process,” he maintained. He added that work on the Diamer-Bhasha Dam would also start soon.

The premier advised his detractors to wait for five years as his government had the mandate of the people. “Our government is taking steps in the larger national interest and we are proud of it,” he said, adding he would honour all the pledges made during electioneering.

A group of people who were protesting on the occasion, were asked by the prime minister to meet him. He assured them the government would meet their demands. “Kohistan is rich in natural resources and the time is not far when this area would be a model city like Islamabad and people would come to invest here,” he added.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Sardar Mehtab, Federal Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif, Secretary for Water and Power Nargis Sethi among others were also present on the occasion.

Nawaz Sharif also visited Naran in the Kaghan valley and stayed there for some time. He also met a delegation of hoteliers. They apprised the prime minister of the electricity problems in the area.

Nawaz Sharif asked Khwaja Asif to build a 2MW small hydropower project on the Kunhar River to solve the issue. Security was put on high alert in Dasu, the headquarters of Kohistan, and Naran.

Price hike won’t be allowed, says Dar

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar here on Wednesday took pains to dispel the impression that the new budget was for the rich and ignored the poor. He insisted that the government had taken steps to make the poor self-reliant and stand on their own feet, and that no one will be allowed to increase the prices of commodities in the name of budget.
Yet, in his post-budget press conference, the finance minister was evasive, did not allow stinging questions and took up most of the time repeating the text of his budget speech, so much so that a senior journalist lost temper and walked out of the briefing.

Ishaq Dar said the federal budget’s main thrust was on increasing exports and that was why the government had taken the revolutionary step of establishing the EXIM Bank of Pakistan, which will act as a catalyst in improving exports.

However, he dispelled the impression that the budget was for the rich only and not for the poor, saying the government had imposed taxes on the rich and taken many relief steps to cater to the vulnerable segments of the society.

He said if the benchmark of $2 a day income was kept in view, then 90 million people were living below the poverty line in Pakistan and the government was very concerned about them as this was the class which needed the utmost attention of the government.

“To this effect, the government has increased the allocation for the Benazir Income Support Programme to Rs118 billion from Rs75 billion under which the monthly stipend for the poorest of the poor has been increased to Rs1,500 from Rs1,200. We have decided to make them stand (self-reliant) on their feet and to this effect the government will take many initiatives.”

However, the minister did not mention at what speed the middle class was getting squeezed and why poverty was on the increase.The minister also did not say why he did not increase the CGT (Capital Gains Tax) on securities and also avoided to reply to questions about the impact of the mammoth reduction in subsidy for electricity consumers by Rs80 billion from Rs245 billion to Rs156 billion.

The press briefing was regulated in a way that no concerned journalist could raise pertinent and precise questions and when some of them tried to highlight some critical issues, the minister adopted an evasive attitude and kept on repeating what he wanted to highlight.

The minister consumed most of the time in repeating the budget speech and left insufficient time for the question-answer session. During his speech, one senior journalist lost temper and left the press briefing. It seems all was done in a deliberate attempt to avoid the stinging questions.

The minister also skipped the question on money laundering that was raised in the context of MQM leader Altaf Hussain, but the questioner took up the issue, pinpointing that some ‘influential’ people who were also involved in money laundering in the past were still in the government.

However, the minister only said that the government would facilitate him (Altaf Hussain) as he was of the Pakistani origin and added that the government was in the process of updating the money laundering law in Pakistan in the light of recommendations of financial action task force.

When pointed out that in the budget there was no mention of PTCL proceeds of $800 million that Etisalat owes to Pakistan, the minister said that this was a seven-year-old dispute under which 131 properties of PTCL were to be handed over to the said company and out of 131, only 32 properties were left which are to be handed over as they all could not be transferred. “I have exerted pressure on the company through diplomatic quarters so that the company should pay $600 million out of $800 million to Pakistan and I hope that I will be able to resolve this issue soon.”

Mentioning the major steps for growth in exports, the minister said that the setting up of the EXIM Bank of Pakistan will enhance the export credit and reduce the cost of borrowing for the export sector on a long-term basis and will help reduce their risks through export credit guarantees and insurance facilities. The bank will provide liquidity to exporters.

Under the Exports Refinance Facility (ERF), he said the government, through the State Bank of Pakistan, had arranged to reduce its mark-up rate on exports finance from 9.4% to 7.5%, which will bring it in line with the rate prevailing in the countries competing with Pakistan, which will reduce the financial cost of exporters by 2%.

He also said the State Bank of Pakistan had arranged long-term finance facility to reduce its mark-up rate on long-term financing facility for 3-10 years duration from around 11.4% to 9% from July1, 2014, which will reduce the financial cost of exporters by 2.4%.

Dar said that drawback for local taxes and levies will be given to exporters of textile products on the FOB values of their enhanced exports if increased beyond 10% (over the last year’s exports) at the following rates: the duty drawback to be given to exporters on garments by 4 percent, made-ups 2 percent and processed fabric 1 percent. “Mark-up rate for export refinance scheme of the State Bank of Pakistan is being reduced from 9.4% to 7.5% from 1st of July 2014.”

To a question, the minister said that in the first phase many SROs valuing Rs130 billion had been withdrawn. He also repeated many proposals that were given in his budget speech on Tuesday.

No one to be allowed to undermine dignity of SC: Justice Jawwad

 

ISLAMABAD: Justice Jawwad S Khawaja of the Supreme Court (SC) said on Thursday that it must be kept in mind by all that the judges of the higher judiciary would never allow anyone to undermine the dignity of the apex court.
The SC took strong exception to a news channel and the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) over a programme aired against the judiciary.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Jawwad S Khawaja and comprising Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Mushir Alam heard the petition filed by the Independent Media Corporation (IMC) on behalf of Geo Network against the negative propaganda by other TV channels and for resumption of its transmission on cable networks.

“It is learnt that the instant petition drew huge attraction”, Justice Jawwad S Khawaja asked Muhammad Akram Sheikh, counsel for Geo TV network at the start of the proceedings.Muhammad Akram Sheikh however, expressed his reservations saying that he felt harassed while taking up the case.

“We are very professional and we will deal with it professionally and we do know what our values are, thanks to Allah Almighty,” Jawwad S Khawaja remarked adding that everyone should know that they would not let anyone cause harm to the dignity of the Supreme Court.

Justice Jawwad S Khawaja refused to recuse himself from the bench hearing the Geo TV

case saying a judge took the decision to disassociate himself in accordance with the Constitution.

He said that it was the conscience of the judge himself which must determine his decision whether to sit on a bench or not.

Justice Khawaja questioned the regulatory body about its presence during propaganda against the judiciary. He asked where was Pemra when propaganda was aired against the judiciary. He said “for God’s sake recognise right from wrong”.

Zakir Malik, Pemra legal head, however, informed the court that they had forwarded the complaints to the department concerned after monitoring the said programme, adding he was hopeful of action being taken on it during the course of the day.

The petitioner, the Independent Media Corporation (IMC) prayed to the court to issue directives to restrain all channels from airing allegations against other channels or media groups. The petition was filed against the backdrop of a smear campaign against the television network by rival media groups kickstarted after a May 14 morning show aired a performance by some Qawwal.

The petitioner prayed to the court to order the law enforcement and investigation agencies and lower courts all over the country to submit copies of all the criminal complaints, FIRs and petitions filed under Section 22A that contained allegations of blasphemy regarding the show.

It was further requested to issue directives for consolidation of all the FIRs that might have been registered in various parts of the country and to restrain the law enforcing and investigating agencies from registering any new case, but to forward all pending and new FIRs containing allegations of blasphemy before the Supreme Court for eventual quashing of proceedings on them.

It was also requested to order the relevant law enforcing agencies in all the provinces to take required steps for protection of the petitioners, management and staff of the Geo, Jang Group, along with their offices all over the country.

The petitioner made the federal government through secretary interior, chief secretaries of the four provincial governments and Chief Commissioner, Islamabad as respondents.Similarly, the Independent Media Corporation filed a Civil Miscellaneous Application (CMA) in the Constitutional Petition No 51 of 2010 for revival of the said petition.

It was prayed to the apex court to order the revival of the titled constitutional petition in the interest of justice, equity and fair play; and may further be pleased to act strictly in accordance with the report of Javed Jabbar appointed as mediator with consent of the respondents in almost a similar episode and the mediation having been accepted by the respondents for reshuffling or blocking of the petitioner channels be restrained along with any other relief that the august court might graciously deem appropriate.

During the hearing Justice Jawwad S Khawaja pointed out to Akram Sheikh, counsel for Geo Television, that there was an objection from some quarters in respect of the constitution/impartiality of the bench.

Justice Jawwad S Khawaja said that the respondent or any other person having any objection against constitution of this bench might come to the court and the matter was adjourned to 1:00pm.

Later at 1:00 pm, when the court resumed the matter Attorney General Salman Aslam Butt appeared before the court and submitted that the federation had no objection to the hearing of this petition by this bench which included Jawwad S Khawaja.

However, one Sabir Shakir, Bureau Chief, ARY, Islamabad, appeared and stated that Mubashar Luqman who is an anchor person of ARY had sent him to state that he would like to engage a counsel in this case.

The court observed that there might be justification for this request though, prima facie, it did not appear so but there appeared to be some TV talk show aired last evening which might need to be seen as it appeared to be relevant in this context.

The court however, observed that in order to ensure absolute transparency in these cases, it was prepared to consider the objections which might appear from the aforesaid TV show to be against one member of this bench (Jawwad S Khawaja).

“It is possible that this objection has something to do with the news programme ‘Kharra Sach’ which was aired on ARY on May 21, 2014 (Wednesday). Therefore, we direct the registrar of the court to obtain the CD of the said programme which was aired on Wednesday and which needed to be seen as the same might throw some light on the basis or otherwise of any objection as vehemently urged by Sabir Shakir”, the court ruled in its order.

The court ruled that it would re-assemble at 2:00pm for the viewing of the TV programme. Meanwhile, the court directed its office to make arrangements for displaying relevant parts of the programme ‘Kharra Sach’ relayed the other day on ARY News Channel, through multimedia in court at 2:00pm.

Meanwhile, as the court resumed the hearing at 2:00pm, it viewed the programme ‘Kharra Sach.’ The court viewed two relevant clips of the aforesaid programme in the court through multimedia.

After viewing the relevant clips of the programme, the court observed that it was not for the present necessary to make any determination as to the nature of the excerpts from the TV programme.

The court further observed if there was any cause or matter which might require intervention in exercise of proceedings under any constitutional or statutory provision, that matter, needless to say, would proceed separately because that had no direct nexus with the matter at hand.

“The matter right now is as to whether one of us (Jawwad S Khawaja) should sit on this bench, the court ruled adding that the basis of the objection could be gathered from the second excerpt of the TV programme.

The court noted that it was in this excerpt that it had been alleged that because of a relationship (Jawwad S Khawaja) had with owner of IMC, he should recuse from the hearing of this case.

It was noted that the statement had been made by a gentleman named Aqeel Karim Dhedhi. The court however, ruled that it was quite obvious that he was totally unaware of the nature of the office of a judge and of the rules which had been laid down to ensure transparency and impartiality of benches hearing cases.

“Mr Dhedhi appears to be unaware that although the IMC owner happens to be the brother of the wife of my brother, Justice Jawwad S Khawaja said adding that he did not recall the last time they met, it might have been 20 years ago, 16 years ago or perhaps at some ‘Shaadi or Ghami’ which he did not recall at present.

“It is always for the judge himself to make a determination as to whether or not his relationship with any other person is such that he should not hear a particular case in which such person is a party”, the court ruled in its order.

The court further ruled that the Code of Conduct prescribed by the Supreme Judicial Council for judges of the superior courts includes Article 4 which states that a judge should not “act in a case involving his own interest, including those of persons whom he regards and treats as near relatives or close friends.

”From this it will be evident that only such persons can trigger recusal of a judge who are considered to be close by a judge”, the court ruled adding that the rationale of this stipulation is evident from its content.“It is clear that I have no basis for regarding or treating IMC owner as a near relative,” Justice Jawwad S Khawaja ruled in the court order.

The oath of office of judges of the Supreme Court is set out in the Schedule to the Constitution as per Article 178. It is expressly stated therein that the judge “will not allow [his] personal interest to influence [his] official conduct or [his] official decision”. Judges also swear under the Constitution to “do right to all manner of people according to law without fear or favour, affection or ill-will”. The Holy Quran in fact directs judges to act fairly, justly and impartially even if they are hearing cases involving their own relatives.

The above provisions of the Code of Conduct or oath of office or the verses from the Holy Quran do not impose a bar on a judge from hearing cases unless there is cause under Article 4 of the Code of Conduct reproduced above”, the court observed adding that no such cause exists in this case.

“In the present case, we may assume that the comments made by Mr Dhedhi may be in good faith, however, such comments before being aired on a TV channel licenced by Pemra could have been vetted or even in the case of a live telecast it should have been ascertained that the interviewee was aware of Article 19 of the Constitution and the law”, the court ruled in its order.

The court however, ruled that it did not intend to embark on any such inquiry as this would be a matter within the competence and jurisdiction of Pemra.

The court ruled that the Pemra should ensure that the provisions set out in Articles 19 and 19A of the Constitution are strictly adhered to.

These provisions have also been incorporated in the Pemra Ordinance and the rules framed by Pemra thereunder and also in the provisions of the licences which are issued by Pemra to various channels, the court ruled.

The court observed that it might be useful to record that all litigants at times made attempts to avoid hearing before certain benches but at times such attempts were not well intentioned.

“There may even be attempts to intimidate or malign judges or institutions of the state and thereby, to undermine such individuals or institutions”, the court ruled.The court observed that the hearings of this case at intervals today was significant, adding that courts were not to succumb to any remark, defamatory or otherwise. “It is the conscience of the judge himself which must determine his decision to sit on a bench or not”, the court ruled.

“We are very conscious and careful in noting that Mr Dhedhi may genuinely have felt the way he did when he said that one of us (Jawwad S Khawaja) should recuse from this case. Therefore, it might be for some other person or some other proceedings to deal with the utterances in the TV programme as reproduced above, the court ruled adding that they had no intention to comment on matters which were sub judice before this court and before other courts including accountability courts which are part of the judicial system of Pakistan wherein Mr Dhedhi might be arrayed as a party or as an accused.

“We are deliberately and consciously not recording any remarks or comment lest it should cause prejudice to the trial or to Mr Dhedhi in such pending matters”, the court ruled.

Justice Jawwad S Khawaja in the court order said that he did not find any reason whatsoever not to sit on this bench. He however referred to Article 19 of the Constitution which says, “Every citizen shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression, and there shall be freedom of the press, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of the glory of Islam or the integrity, security or defence of Pakistan or any part thereof, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality, or in relation to contempt of court, [commission of] or incitement to an offence.

The court ruled that barring the exclusions which had been mentioned in the said article, there could be no restriction imposed on the freedom of speech and expression set out in Article 19 of the Constitution.Meanwhile, the court adjourned the hearing till today (Friday).

Musharraf can’t be allowed to go abroad, govt tells SHC

 

KARACHI: The federal government on Monday opposed the former president Pervez Musharraf’s petition in the Sindh High Court (SHC) for removal of his name from the Exit Control List (ECL).
Filing comments with the court on Musharraf’s petition against placement of his name on the ECL, a Ministry of Interior official, Amir Sohail, submitted that the petitioner was facing serious charges, including high treason and if a conviction was secured, he may get capital punishment.

He said the petitioner had been nominated in four different cases, which were sub judice. He said the nature of crimes leveled against the petitioner was very serious due to which he could not be allowed to leave the country.

He submitted that the name of the petitioner had been placed on the ECL on the direction of the Supreme Court in a high treason matter and the high court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain and adjudicate the petition. He said the petition was liable to be dismissed at all costs.

Sohail submitted that the petitioner was accused of committing serious crimes, including the charge of high treason. In case, he said, the petitioner’s likely conviction in one or more cases on these serious charges entails capital punishment, the existence of incentive to abscond must obviously be greater.

He submitted that the petition was not maintainable in its present form, as the petitioner himself was available in the country but he chose to file a petition through an attorney, who could not depose the facts of the case.

He submitted that the petitioner had made several misstatements in the petition, concealed important facts and approached the court with unclean hands and, therefore, he was not entitled to any discretionary relief.

It was submitted that the federal government had offered to fly the petitioner’s ailing mother from the UAE back to Pakistan; however, the petitioner was not sincere in his request, and there was a great likelihood that in the garb of his request, the petitioner intends to flee Pakistan and frustrate the judicial process and the purpose of the law.

The hearing of the case has already been fixed for May 7 before the SHC. Musharraf, through his attorney Brigadier (retd) Akhtar Zamin, submitted in the petition that the federal government banned his traveling abroad on April 5, 2013 without giving any justified reason for placement of his name on the ECL.

The counsel pointed out that although the Supreme Court passed an interim order on April 8, 2013 for placement of the petitioner’s name on the ECL, the court, while disposing of the petitions against his client with regard to the high treason trial, said no condition of keeping the petitioner’s name on the ECL had been specified.

No one to be allowed to use Pak soil against any country: PM

 

LONDON: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif vowed that Pakistan would not allow its land to be used against any country as British Prime Minister David Cameron stated that Pakistan’s enemies were the enemies of Britain.
The two leaders expressed these views during talks at 10-Downing Street. Both the leaders underlined their commitment to fight terrorism together.

The prime minister was joined in the two-hour-long talks by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar, Adviser to the PM on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Special Assistant to the PM on National Security Tariq Fatemi, Pakistan’s acting High Commissioner to the UK Imran Mirza and others.

David Cameron was assisted in the talks by Foreign Secretary William Hague and Foreign Office Minister Sayeeda Warsi.Nawaz Sharif paid a visit to his British counterpart as the British parliamentarians called for a cut in the aid programme to Pakistan and diverting funds to poorer countries unless “clear evidence” is produced that Pakistan is playing its role in reducing extremism.

Increasingly, British MPs believed that the UK fund was not being properly spent in the fight against radicalism. However, it is becoming clear that the threat to the UK from Pakistan has significantly reduced recently whereas it had gone up in the case of the Middle Eastern flashpoint countries.

Nawaz Sharif thanked Prime Minister Cameron for his country’s financial help and told Cameron that it was “something that we value very much”.

David Cameron said thatBritain and Pakistan had a “vitally important” relationship that was based on trade, development and the fight against terrorism.

He added: “The enemies of Pakistan are my enemies too because we want to defeat the extremism, the terrorism that threatens your country and so many others in the region.”Nawaz Sharif said he welcomed the UK’s announcement that the two countries would fight extremism together.

Nawaz Sharif said, “Pakistan has paid a heavy price in its fight against terror and we are determined to eliminate terrorism in Pakistan and will never allow anybody to use its space for launching an attack in Afghanistan, or for that matter, anywhere in the world,” he said. “This is our policy, which we have recently formulated,” he said.

“We believe that we will work together to fight against terror and also to pull Pakistan out of the problems it’s facing,” Nawaz Sharif said.

After holding talks at 10-Downing Street, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif addressed a conference where the UK and Pakistani business community was present. Nawaz Sharif told the conference that his government had turned around country’s economy within a year. “Pakistan today offers tremendous investment opportunities. We have brought structural reforms and introduced great policies as the UK and Pakistan remained committed to strengthening economic cooperation.

“I have today met my friend, David Cameron, who was the first to visit Pakistan after the PML-N government assumed power. The UK has offered help in all areas including education and defence. The role of the Department for International Development (DFID) has been brilliant,” said Nawaz Sharif.

He said that the two countries had agreed to work on new roadmaps and the two countries had agreed to enhance cooperation in all areas including trade, economy, education and health sector.

The PM said that his country was keen to increase UK investment in Pakistan as more than 100 UK companies were working in Pakistan and making a lot of profit.

Nawaz Sharif said that his government came into power through free and fair elections. He said that he was aware of the challenges being faced by Pakistan but he was determined to deal with these challenges. He said that since coming to power, his govt had worked on a priority basis vis-a-vis the energy crisis and output of the economy. He said that Pakistan’s economic indicators looked optimistic and almost all areas of the economy were showing signs of progress.

“We inherited an economy in dire straits. There was lack of confidence in state institutions when we took over. We worked beyond the call of duty to turn around the economy and we have succeeded. The Pak rupee has gone up significantly and the capital market outlook is appearing optimistic. The Pakistan economy appears to be back on track,” said the premier.

Nawaz Sharif said, “I am privileged that the people of Pakistan have given me a mandate. I am trying to make Pakistan a tolerant and vibrant country. I count on my friends in Britain to march with us and help us in making Pakistan a liberal society.”

On the occasion, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said, “Militancy is a challenge and we consider it very serious and Nawaz Sharif is determined to deal with it.”

He said that it was courageous of PM Sharif that he initiated a dialogue with the Taliban. “It is to Nawaz Sharif’s credit that dialogue process with the Taliban is going on the right direction. We have to exhaust this option first and foremost. If dialogue fails, the whole country will be on one page to fight the TTP. We must eliminate terrorism to make Pakistan move forward,” he said.

Answering questions, Nawaz Sharif repeated that it was in Pakistan’s interest to establish peace through dialogue. “Otherwise Pakistan does have other options including the use of force,” the prime minister said.The premier said that his govt was encouraging militants to put down their weapons and come to the dialogue table.

No one will be allowed to snatch press freedom’

 

LAHORE: Speakers at a seminar held at the South Asian Free Media Association (Safma) said the right of freedom of expression was directly linked to the right to life, but unfortunately, both of them were in jeopardy in Pakistan.
They said they would not allow anyone to snatch the press freedom. MNA Tehmina Daultana, former assistant attorney general Iftikhar Shahid, Geo Television Lahore Bureau chief Syed Khawar Naeem Hashmi, Khalid Chaudhry, Allama Siddique Azhar and Anjum Rasheed were speaking at a seminar organised in connection with the attack on Hamid Mir and the freedom of expression.

They said the freedom of speech and freedom of the press were a part of the Constitution of Pakistan and there was no state or non-state institution that could defy these rights under any pretext. The civil society and the media had a history of a rigorous struggle for the freedom of expression and press. Therefore, they would not allow anyone to take back even a small part of the gains made so far.

They said in the case of Pakistan, the right of expression was directly linked to the right of life because those who were determined to practice the former were ending up risking the latter.The speakers were of the view that there was a need to improve the current state of security and tolerance among certain national quarters regarding information and opinion.

According the speakers, the right to freedom of expression and security are a cornerstone of any democracy and the country becomes a totalitarian state the very moment these rights are encroached upon. The government needs to look into the situation as to why the freedom of expression was becoming more and more dearer rather than an inalienable right and should fix this growing dangerous trend.

They pointed out that even before the attack on Hamid Mir, dozens of journalists suffered the same fate and many had not been as lucky as Hamid, as they lost their lives for the cause. They said had the inquiry report and the measures proposed by the Saleem Shahzad commission implemented, it would have acted as a deterrent.

They said practicing the right to freedom of expression was not exclusive to journalists; in fact, politicians used it more than media persons in their election campaigns, in parliament and at other forums. Therefore, any curb on this right would not only hit the media but would also seal the lips of the society as a whole.

They said no one could deny the fact that the Geo News and other organisations of the Jang Group were the most popular media outlets in Pakistan and any attempt to shut them down would be a blow to the people’s right to information.

Sunny Not Allowed to Enter Lucknow Pub

Hottie Sunny Leone was not allowed to enter into Blue The Lounge, a watering hole at Sapru Marg, Lucknow. She was scheduled to promote her upcoming Ragini MMS 2 there. However, she had a rude shock when she was not even allowed to step out of her car.

 

"We can't let Sunny enter the lounge," said sub-inspector Dheeraj Singh. A leading tabloid quoted him saying, "This is election time and iss samay Lucknow mein aachar sanhita Section 144 lagu hai. Therefore, no party can be organised where a celebrity is being called without the permission of the DM. We have got orders to not let Sunny enter the party venue." He said, "Also, people are consuming alcohol inside and what if something goes wrong with the celebrity? We can't take a risk."

 

Sunny Leone's husband, Daniel Weber and the team who travelled along were furious and seemed to be disappointed with the reaction. It was supposed to be the responsibility of the lounge managers to seek prior permission before inviting. However, they had a different story to tell. "We have nothing to do with Sunny Leone's party in our lounge. We have just rented out this place to an event management company and have given them a NOC for the party. That's it!  We can't do anything if the event manager has not taken necessary permissions," said the lounge manager. Apparently, this isn't the first time this has happened, Sunny was earlier barred entry in Indore, where she was scheduled to promote the same film.

WHY SUNNY IS NOT ALLOWED TO PROMOTE ‘RAGINI MMS 2’ IN INDORE?

Sunny Leone was all set to visit Indore to promote her upcoming film ‘Ragini MMS 2’. But, the actress was not allowed in the city.

It is learnt that she was going to promote the flick in a mall in Indore, but one of the political party warned the owners of the mall that they would show their violent behavior if the porn star turned Bollywood actress visits the mall.

The locals from the hotel, where the cast and crew were about to stay says that the booking of the hotel is currently on hold.

Well, if this report is true, we can only say that it’s a wrong gesture of the political party.