August brings more misery for Pakistani journalists

ISLAMABAD: August 2006 was a harsh month for journalists in Pakistan: at least 15 incidents of violence and threats against journalists and media property were reported, taking the total number of such incidents to 73 this year.

Statistics compiled by Intermedia, a locally registered media development NGO, and released here Friday, show that during this month 12 journalists were the victims of harassment and torture involving both government officials and private groups.

The statistics also show that during this period, two journalists were detained illegally whereas seven were tortured or injured and three received threats.

Compared with statistics compiled from reports published in the press, the total incidents of violence and intimidation against journalists in the whole of 2005 were 44. In 2006, six journalists faced violence or intimidation, 7 in February, 11 in March, 6 in April, 5 in May, 13 in June and in 10 in July – making August the most violent month for the country’s journalists, with 15 incidents, this year.

The most violent incident in August 2006 was reported from Sindh where a reporter, Omer Soomro, working with the local daily ‘Sham’ was kidnapped on August 27 from a town near Umerkot by the supporters of local nazim Ali Bukhsh Mangrio, brother of Qamar Mangrio, an advisor to the Sindh Chief Minister.

According to reports Omer Soomro was severely tortured and was humiliated in public as he was stripped naked, his head, mustaches, and eyebrows shaved off. Police had refused to register the First Information Report because the perpetrators were influential.

Another incident took place in the troubled tribal areas on August 30 when 15-year-old Taimur Khan was killed by unidentified assailants. He was the brother of BBC correspondent Dilawar Khan, who was reported from South Waziristan Agency. The house and a school run by Dilawar Khan’s family were targeted by unidentified people with blast last year in December.

A journalist from Mansehra, Mian Muhammad Hussain, correspondent for The News and Geo TV was physically tortured by three armed men at night when he was returning home from his office. The incident took place in late July but was reported by the press in August.

On August 3, a senior journalist and former president of Lakki Press Club, Haji Samar Gul from Lakki Marwat sustained bullet injuries when he along his brother was on their way to home.

Shahraza Shah, a Charsadda based journalist, was physically tortured and attacked by the police personal on August 8 and the police refused to register an FIR against the accused police officials.

Chief Minister Punjab Pervez Elahi visited Layyah in Punjab on August 15. During the visit, the local police illegally detained a local female journalist, Kalsoom Khaliq of daily Ausaf, for several hours. Police alleged that she was not carrying a security pass for a ceremony attended by Elahi.

On August 16 in Karachi, police manhandled and threatened Azhar Ali Khan, a reporter of Business Recorder, of “dire consequences” after exchange of hot words on a vehicle parking issue.

On August 20, a group of armed men attempted to kidnap Shahid Hussain, sub-editor in Sindhi language newspaper. However, on intervention by private security guards at a nearby petrol station the armed men ran away.

Two unidentified individuals shot and injured Editor of Weekly Ishraq, Manzoorul Hassan in Lahore on August 24. Hassan survived the attack.

On August 19, dacoits robbed a journalist Dawood Ahmed working for a Islamabad based newspaper. Dacoits took away Rs30,000, gold ornaments and a cell phone from his house.

In another incident reported from Azad Kashmir, a TV cameraman working on an assignment by Reuters, Abdul Waheed Kiani, was threatened and detained for several hours before being deported from the city by the police in Mirpur. He had gone there to interview the family of Rashid Rauf, main suspect of an alleged plot to blow up several transatlantic airlines.

In August three incidents of attacks on media property were also reported.

On August 30 angry demonstrators rampaged through an under-construction government radio transmitter building in Turbat, Balochistan after news of Nawab Akbar Bugti’s killing spread.

On August 10, unknown miscreants attacked the bureau office of daily The Nation, Mirpur Khas, Sindh, and broke office furniture and equipment.

On August 2, the police, acting on NWFP government directives, raided music shops, collected hundreds of film CDs and posters and set them on fire, in Peshawar. —Ends