ISLAMABAD/LAHORE:
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and the All Pakistan
Newspaper Employees Confederation (APNEC) have expressed reservations
over the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority’s decision to
suspend the Geo News for 15 days and impose Rs10 million fine, terming
it disastrous for the freedom of the press.
According
to a press release issued here on Friday, central leaders of both the
unions in a meeting led by PFUJ President Afzal Butt reviewed in detail
the situation of Geo after April 19’s life attempt on Geo News
anchorperson Hamid Mir, attacks on the Jang Group journalists and
burning of The News, Jang newspaper vans.
The PFUJ and
APNEC leaders also strongly condemned the illegal decision of closing
the Geo News by cable operators. They also demanded of the concerned
quarters that after completing the 15-day ban on Geo News, the same
should not be extended in any plea and no hurdles be made for Geo in
performing its professional and journalistic activities.
They
also decided that PFUJ, APNEC and all press club bodies would visit the
Geo offices throughout the country to express solidarity with them on
June 7 (today). Meanwhile, civil society and media leaders, in a meeting
held at the Safma Secretariat, condemned the suspension of Geo News for
15 days by Pemra and termed it an assault on the freedom of expression
and democratic values according to a press release.
Attacks
on journalists and media houses with impunity and strangulation of a
media house is a stark reflection of authoritarian tendencies that may
be fatal for the overall democratic dispensation, observed I.A Rehman,
Director of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. Senior journalist
Hussain Naqi lamented the disunity among the media ranks and called for
unity among the media persons for the freedom of press and safety of
journalists while criticising those forces who are using strong-arm
tactics to muzzle the press.
While opposing the suspension
of Geo, Tehreek-i-Insaf MNA Shafqat Mehmood expressed concerns about
the way the media had been flouting its freedom by running vicious and
slanderous campaigns against politicians. He emphasised that he was for
more freedom and against restrictions with a greater sense of
professional responsibility.
Commenting on the current
state of the media, senior journalist Anjum Rashid said that never in
the history, the media have so amateurishly undermined its own freedom
to settle business scores. Educationist Abbas Rashid emphasised the need
to view the press freedom and safety of journalists in the broader
perspective of freedom of expression and right to life that cannot be
compromised.
Columnist Kamran Shafi warned that attacks
on the press will lead to attack on democracy and the Nawaz Sharif
government should not have abdicated its writ in the face of unlawful
conduct of certain forces.
Director South Asian
Partnership Tehseen proposed that all the democratic forces must unite
in defence of the freedom of press and democratic values. Editor Farah
Zia said that the state institutions must follow tyhe due process of law
and justice rather than clamping down on a media house and its workers.
Journalists from various media organisations lamented
the current environment in which they are being forced to work against
their conscience and called on media houses to allow professional
editors to perform their role in keeping high professional standards and
media ethics. They appealed to working journalists to unite against the
attacks on their colleagues and protect their freedom and economic
rights.
Summing up the consultative process, Secretary
General of Safma Imtiaz Alam said that there cannot be any compromise on
the freedom of expression and safety of citizens and journalists. We
demand, he said, more freedoms and will stand up against the violation
of fundamental human and civil rights, including a free media.
Condemning the attacks on journalists and forcible shutdown of the Geo
News, he said infighting between various media houses had undermined the
very premise of press freedom and a divided media community cannot
fight for a cause they have themselves demolished.
Alam
said freedoms and rights are indivisible and can be fought and defended
by all the democratic forces together as a part of strengthening the
democratic values and democratic system. He warned against those
adventurous elements that are resorting to unconstitutional and illegal
means to impose their will or trying to pitch the media against the
national security institutions. He said the media was bound by the
Constitution not to bring armed forces and the judiciary in disrepute.
He underlined the necessity to expand the horizon of freedoms while
accepting the greater responsibility to use their freedom with care and
professional caution. He cautioned against further aggravating the
current tussle between the Jang Group and the military establishment.
The time is for fire-fighting and not for adding fuel to the fire as
some elements are desperately trying, he observed. He emphasised the
need to adopt a legal course of action and called upon parliament,
political parties and civil society organisations to play their due role
in resolving the current tussle between a section of the media and the
armed forces that deserve the support of the whole nation in its
struggle to eliminate the scourge of terrorism.
The
participants resolved to convene a national conference in defence of the
freedom of expression, tolerance, democratic values, observing due
process of law, a responsible and free media and strengthening the
constitutional role of all state organs within their respective spheres.
Our correspondent adds from Lahore: The governing body
of Lahore Press Club (LPC) on Friday condemned the Pemra’s decision to
suspend the Geo News for 15 days as a punishment for running an alleged
campaign against the ISI and its chief in April.
In a
statement, the LPC Governing Body members, while terming the move as an
economic murder of journalists, demanded immediate withdrawal of the
decision.
LPC President Arshad Ansari, Vice-President
Afzal Talib, Secretary Shahbaz Mian, Joint Secretary Farzana Chaudhry,
Treasurer Asif Chaudhry and others made it clear that the journalist
community would resist suspension of any channel and not accept
dictatorial acts in the country.
They said no compromise
would be made at the cost of media freedom and economic murder of
journalists.They appealed to the civil society, lawyers, human rights
organisations and the people of Pakistan to support the journalist
community during the current crucial period.
They said
Pemra had punished Geo today and other channels or media outlets could
face the same fate if they did not stop their internal fight. They urged
all media houses to get united at a single platform to defend the media
and its freedom.They announced that a protest would be held outside the
LPC on Saturday (today) at 5pm against the suspension of Geo News.
