Media in Pakistan continue to witness harassment and intimidation

ISLAMABAD: The incessant incidents of violence against media persons and media organizations continue to haunt journalists' community as 15 such incidents were reported in the country last month including murder of a news agency reporter.

Monthly ‘Media Freedom Report' issued by Intermedia Monday said that in September this year, 15 incidents of violation against media were recorded throughout Pakistan taking the total number of attacks on press in 2006 to 88.

In September one journalist was killed, four were tortured, three journalists were illegally detained by police or intelligence agencies while two journalists received death threats, the report, which is a monthly feature, said.

The report while referring to the 15 incidents, said that the continuous trend of violations against media has turned the working conditions for journalists from bad to worst. It said that journalists' organizations are concerned about this dangerously increasing trend and media persons are under continuous threat.

Besides this the government put ban on a television channel for more than a week, declaration of a magazine was cancelled and cinema houses in NWFP were asked to remain closed during Ramadan.

Murder: The nastiest incident took place in Dera Ismail Khan (NWFP) where a journalist Maqbool Hussain Siyal, bureau chief of Online News Agency, was shot dead on September 14, the third journalist to be killed this year. Earlier Hayatullah Khan in FATA and Mansoor Ahmed Mangi in Sindh were killed.

Younger cousin of Hayatullah Khan was found dead on September 22 after he was kidnapped by unidentified persons.

Torture: In Lahore three journalists -- Wadood Mushtaq (ARY), cameraman Nazir Awan (ARY) and Zahid Malik of ATV – were manhandled and tortured by police at a religious congregation at Minar-e-Pakistan on September 17. Media reports say that all the three journalists received multiple fractures and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mukhtar Shah was directly involved in beating them.

Two other journalists, Mousa Khan from Mingora (NWFP) and Ashfaq Khoso from Sukkur (Sindh) were attacked by unidentified armed persons and were severely injured on 7 th and 23 rd September respectively. A senior journalist C.R. Shamsi was beaten up by the private guards of Minister for Labor and Manpower Ghulam Sarwar Khan on his instructions within the Parliament premises on September 13.

Arrests: Data compiled through reports in national media says that in September police and intelligence agencies illegally arrested three journalists -- Rafiq Ajiz, editor of a local daily ‘Chamag' from Turbat (Balochistan), Abdul Sattar Khan from Chiniot (Punjab) and Saeed Sarbazi from Karachi (Sindh).

Saeed Sarbazi of Business Recorder was released after a week and he confirmed his detention by intelligence agencies without any warrant or case registered against him.

Harassment: A unique incident of harassing a journalist took place right under the nose of country's top management, when the Islamabad Police implicated a The News senior correspondent Shakeel Anjum in a triple murder case. The Station House Officer (SHO) of Shehzad Town police station in Islamabad, Inspector Idrees Rathore, included Shakil's name in the FIR (No 326, Sept 16, 2006), lodged in the case under sections 302, 324, 148, 149, 427, 109 PPC and 6/7 Anti-Terrorism Act. It was clearly an act of vengeance against the reporter who had been filling stories highlighting incompetence and inefficiency of the police.

According to media reports another journalist, Mukhtar Ghansfar, commerce reporter for Daily Khabrain Islamabad received death threats from Islamabad-based businessman Munawwar Mughal.

Media closure: Government of Punjab on September 17 issued “verbal directives” to cable operators in the province to stop airing the transmission of ARY Digital television network that include ARY Digital, ARY Pakistan, ARY India, ARY Asia, ARA One World, QTV, The Muzik and the City Channel. Punjab government issued the instruction when ARY repeatedly screened the scene of beating of journalists by Police at Minar-e-Pakistan. However, the transmissions were resumed after a week.

Again, on September 26, cable operators of Taxila, Wah Cantt complaint that police forced them to stop the transmission of ARY TV Network and there was no ARY broadcast in Taxila, Hassanabdal and Wah Cantt on Septembet 26 and 27 th .

The NWFP government on September 24 through a notification asked all the cinema houses in the province to close down during the month of Ramazan. The cinema owners said that government had forced them to accept the decision.

Last month on August 23, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) rejected the request of renewal of the license by the management of Mast FM 103 Balakot (NWFP) and ordered an immediate closure of the transmission without giving any reason. However, PEMRA has extended the temporary broadcasting licenses of all the other FM radio stations operating in the area.

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) said that the FM 103 license was not renewed because of its program that criticized the alleged misuse of funds allocated for the rehabilitation program carried out by government agencies in earthquake-affected area, especially the Earthquake Relief and Rehabillitation Authority (ERRA).

Ends