Jang, Geo have played historic role for national stability: LHCBA Slams attack on Hamid Mir

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) has condemned the attack on Geo News anchorperson Hamid Mir, terming it an attack on the freedom of the press.

Addressing a press conference, bar president Shafqat Mahmood Chohan, vice president Amir Jalil Siddiqui, secretary Mian Ahmad and finance secretary Mian Iqbal said the Jang group and Geo have played a historic role in stability of state institutions, an independent judiciary and restoration of democracy.

They said lawyers will stand by the journalists who speak and write the truth fearlessly and serve the nation. They said media men suffered punishments, brutalities along with lawyers for the independence of the judiciary. They demanded early arrest of attackers of Hamid Mir and punishment.

On the occasion, Amir Jalil said Hamid Mir studied along with him at the university. Hamid Mir had never compromised on his principles. Secretary Mian Chachar said Hamid Mir was dauntless in speaking the truth, and the attack on him was a show of cowardice.

He said lawyers were with journalists and while a judicial commission had been established, any view can be expressed only after a report was presented by the commission. Mian Iqbal said the attack on Hamid Mir was an attack on the freedom of the press. They demanded that Pervez Musharraf should be sentenced after his trial. They pledged to resist unendingly if any despot tried to take such a step. He said if any tilt was shown in the Musharraf case, court will also be blamed for it.

Historic presidential poll begins in Afghanistan

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  AP An Afghan woman casts her vote at a polling station in Jalalabad east of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Saturday. 
   
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  AP Afghan policemen take positions a day before the elections in Kabul on Friday.

Thousands of Afghans lined up at polling centres in Kabul from early morning to cast their ballots.

Afghanistan began voting Saturday for a new president amid fears of violence and insecurity.

Thousands of Afghans lined up at polling centres in Kabul from early morning to cast their ballots.

“This is a very good day for Afghans. People are going to elect their president and provincial council members,” Election Commission chief Yousuf Nooristani said.

“I ask my countrymen to go and vote.” Abdul Hadi Ghazniwal, 38, standing in a long queue at a voting station, said he was voting for change.

Jamshid Khan, 24, another Kabul resident, said he was not afraid of the Taliban’s threat to disrupt the election.

“I am here to vote for a candidate and I am not scared of the threats,” he said.

The voting began without incident, but insecurity and fraud remain the top concerns for election day, according to officials.

About 12 million voters are eligible to cast ballots at some 6,400 polling centres across the country, according to IEC. Around 400,000 security forces have been deployed.

There are eight presidential candidates, including opposition leader Abdullah Abdullah, former World Bank technocrat Ashraf Ghani and former foreign minister Zalmai Rassoul.

Outgoing president Hamid Karzai, who is barred by the constitution from seeking a third term, cast his ballot at Amani High School.

On Friday, two foreign journalists working for Associated Press were shot, one of whom died, in eastern Afghanistan.