February 18, 2020 – Page 2 – Pakistan Coalition on Media Safety

February 18, 2020

AEMEND condemns murder of newsman

The Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors Monday strongly condemned the murder of Aziz Memon, reporter of Daily Kawish and KTN Network. Azhar Abbas, President and Ammad Yousuf Secretary General of AEMEND said that the media community is shocked at this blatant act of violence and expresses profound concern over the continued attacks and killing of media men in the line of duty.

The recent murder is part of a series of attacks against journalists. The association asked Prime Minister Imran Khan and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to take notice of this brutal murder of Aziz Memon which is tantamount to an attack on the freedom of expression.

So far, police and other law enforcement agencies have failed to take action against the perpetrators of heinous crimes against media and media men. The association members feel that these acts of violence are aimed to silence the dissenting voice. The AEMEND demanded that the perpetrators should be identified and brought to justice.

Business Recorder

February 18, 2020

PFUJ, CPNE condemn Sindh journalist’s murder

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen M Mazari on Monday strongly condemned the murder of journalist Aziz Memon and called for constituting an inquiry committee on the matter.

Speaking on a point of order in the National Assembly, the minister said Aziz Memon had informed the authorities concerned a few days ago about threats to his life; however, no timely action was taken by the police to protect him.

The committee should be constituted to probe the murder of Aziz Memon so that those involved in the incident should be brought to justice.

Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has requested Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Gulzar Ahmed to take notice of journalist Aziz Memon’s killing. Taking to the Twitter, Fawad Chaudhry said Sindhi journalist Aziz Memon had accused province’s ruling party in one of his videos and even came to Islamabad to apprise about death threats from the PPP. He requested the CJ SC to take notice and investigation by a federal agency into the murder.

President Mehrabpur Press Club Aziz Memon was strangulated to death on Sunday in Sindh’s district Naushero Feroze.

According to police, the journalist was found dead and initially the probe found that he was strangulated using a wire.

Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah after taking notice of the killing of Aziz Memon has summoned a detailed report into the matter from the DIGP Shaheed Benazirabad.

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has also severely condemned the brutal murder of senior journalist Aziz Memon and demanded a judicial enquiry from a judge of Sindh High Court.

In a joint statement, PFUJ President Shahzada Zulfiqar and Secretary General Nasir Zaidi called for immediate arrest of the murderer of Aziz Memon who earlier in video message viral on the social media demanded security as he was receiving threats of life as he had reported paid participants for Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari long march last year. He even named some officials of Sindh government who threatened him of dire consequences.

“It’s a brutality and inhuman act of murder of Aziz Memon who was killed and his body was thrown into a canal”, said the statement of PFUJ leaders. The statement said that the strong voices of media and professional journalists cannot be silenced as the community is determined to protect the independence of media and will fight till last.

“We want an immediate and urgent enquiry into the incident by a judge of a Sindh High Court and immediate arrest of the murders of Aziz Memon”, the PFUJ leadership demanded.

The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) strongly condemned the brutal murder of Aziz Memon and demanded to arrest the murderers immediately.

In a joint statement on Monday Arif Nizami President CPNE, Dr. Jabbar Khattak Secretary General and other office bearers expressed their deep shock on this incident. This has become a custom by culprits to attack journalists in the line of duty and media houses for their ulterior motives and no attacker is brought to justice so far. The government and its departments have miserably failed to investigate and bring killers of journalists to justice, they lamented.

Arif Nizami said that immediate action by law enforcement agencies and government on any such threat to journalists could have saved their lives. Brutal murder of Aziz Memon a reporter of KTN and daily Kawish is the continuation of attacks on journalists and media houses by such elements. It has put a big question mark on performance of government and its departments, he mentioned.

Arif Nizami said that such attacks were deliberate attempts to suppress dissenting voices. He demanded of Prime Minister Imran Khan, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and IG Police Sindh to immediately arrest killers of journalist Aziz Memon and bring them to justice.

The News International

February 18, 2020

Govt, PPP members clash in NA over probe into journalist’s murder

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Monday witnessed a ruckus over the issue of investigation into the murder of a journalist in Sindh as members of the ruling coalition urged NA Speaker Asad Qaiser to order an inquiry into the incident either through a parliamentary committee or a federal agency, while the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) opposed the idea, terming it an interference in the provincial authority.

PPP members also raised the issue of killing of six people due to leakage of mysterious gas in Karachi’s Keamari area and questioned the federal government’s silence over the issue, alleging that the maritime affairs ministry was trying to hush up the matter as the gas had leaked from the Karachi Port.

The National Assembly also passed three government bills with a majority vote as the opposition protested against the ruling party for doing legislation in haste and relying on presidential ordinances for it.

The issue of the murder of TV journalist Aziz Memon in Mehrabpur (Sindh) came under discussion in the assembly after reporters covering the proceedings staged a walkout from the Press Gallery.

Human Rights Minister Dr Shireen Mazari, after meeting the protesting reporters, told the house that journalists wanted the speaker to constitute a joint investigation team (JIT) comprising personnel from all security agencies and capable police officers from Sindh.

Three government bills passed with a majority vote

The minister, while hitting out at the PPP-led Sindh government, condemned the murder and said that Mr Memon had informed the authorities concerned a few days ago about threats to his life, but no timely action had been taken by the police to protect him.

The committee should be constituted to probe the murder of Mr Memon so that those involved in the incident could be brought to justice, she added.

The issue became political when two arch rivals of the PPP — the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) — also condemned the incident and held the Sindh government responsible for the “poor law and order situation in the province”.

PPP leader Raja Pervez Ashraf opposed the call for investigation through a federal agency and criticised the federal government for not appointing the inspector general of police (IGP) in Sindh on the recommendations of Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah. He said the Sindh chief minister had recommended five names for the IGP, but the federal government remained unmoved.

Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Dr Fehmida Mirza said that some 200 people had forcefully occupied her land in broad daylight, but the Sindh police merely acted as a spectator.

She also drew the attention of the house to the recent murder of PPP MPA Shahnaz Ansari and supported the human rights minister’s call for formation of either a parliamentary committee or a JIT. She accused the PPP of making the murder of the journalist a political issue by raising the issue of appointment of the IGP.

MQM’s Salahuddin wondered how could a government that failed to protect its own MPA provide protection to journalists. He said the journalist had recorded a video message before his murder which was very important and investigations should be held in the light of that statement.

Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry said the journalist in his “dying statement” had stated that he had been receiving threats after filing a report about the train march organised by the PPP last year. The minister said the reporter had claimed in his report that the PPP had arranged a “rented crowd”.

Mr Chaudhry said that the journalist in his statement had accused the Sindh government of hurling threats on him and his family. The minister also called for conducting investigations either through parliamentary panel or any federal agency, saying they did not want to make it a political issue.

Mr Ashraf, however, once again took the floor and termed the government’s proposal interference in the provincial matter. He said the PPP also condemned the journalist’s murder for which, according to him, the area police and senior police officials of the province were also responsible.

The speaker ruled that he would make a decision on the demand for the formation of a JIT or parliamentary committee after seeking an opinion from the law ministry.

Later, speaking on a point of order, PPP’s Abdul Qadir Patel said there were reports that six people had died and another 120 were injured due to leakage of some gas in the coastal area of Keamari in Karachi. Without naming, he said one of the federal ministers had stated that the gas leakage was from a wine manufacturing factory. Amid noisy protest by the treasury members, Mr Patel said the minister should apologise to the people of Keamari over his remarks.

Dawn