Web Desk – Page 173 – Pakistan Coalition on Media Safety

October 31, 2018

Journalist threatened for covering anti-PTM demos

BANNU: A journalist is receiving threats for giving coverage to protest demonstrations against Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) or the Pashtun protection movement.

The local journalist has, meanwhile, criticised for not taking any action against those hurling threats, despite being informed time and again. Journalists have also announced boycotting all police functions for not providing protection to reporters.

According to details, the PTM organised a party meeting in Bannu the other day. The very next day, the Waziristan tribal people held a demonstration in Mir Ali against the PTM and their elected representatives while and trader organisations and common people held a protest in Bannu against the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement.

Different television channels and reporters covered these protest demonstrations. After that, a reporter of a private TV channel and general secretary of Bannu Press Club was given life threats through telephonic calls for covering the anti-PTM demonstrations. The journalist community has demanded protection to the said reporter.

The News

October 27, 2018

HRCP criticises curbs on freedom of movement

LAHORE: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) says it is concerned about putting activist Gulalai Ismail on the exit control list (ECL) and confiscation of her travel documents.

An HRCP press release says Ms Ismail was taken into custody in Islamabad on Oct 12 in connection with a first information report filed in August against 19 leaders of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) – including Ms Ismail –for participating in a public gathering in Swabi.

The press release says that “freedom of movement is an internationally accepted fundamental right. Ms Gulalai has alleged that her name was placed on the ECL for having participated in ‘anti-state activities’. This has become an expedient label for human rights defenders, particularly those associated with the PTM. The right to peaceful dissent – especially when this means articulating ‘uncomfortable’ truths about curtailed rights and freedoms – should not be branded routinely as “anti-state”.

“HRCP calls on the authorities to remove all restrictions on Ms Ismail’s freedom of movement and her other rights, and to avoid using the ECL as an arbitrary and often politically motivated tool to curb the work of human rights defenders in Pakistan.”

Dawn

October 26, 2018

PPF concerned over violence against journalists in Brazil

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), in a letter to Michel Temer, President of Brazil has expressed concern over the ongoing threats and violence against journalists during the election campaign in Brazil.

PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali has condemned such attacks and urged Brazilian presidential candidates to stop violence against journalists and allow them to full fill their journalistic duties without any fear of repercussions.

According to Brazilian Association for Investigative Journalism (ABRAJI), number of reporters were threatened, mistreated and physically assaulted while covering the elections.

Patricia Campos Mello, reporter of Folha de Sao Paulo, received number of threats online, two threatening calls, while her Whats App account was also hacked after she covered a story on an alleged campaign of businessmen, who helped presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro to spread fake news to millions of Brazilians through Whats App.

Mauro Paulino, executive director of Datafolha (linked to Folha de Sao Paulo) also received threats through a messaging app and at home. Supporters of Bolsonaro made a systematic attack on one of their Whats App numbers, which received 220,000 messages in four days, which made it impossible for the journalists to track the follow up messages by its readers, reported newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo.

The newspaper on October 23, asked the Superior Electoral Court to demand the formation of an investigation by the Federal Police to limit its considerations regarding “indications of an orchestrated action with an attempt to constrain freedom of the press.”

Abraji recorded 141 cases of violence against journalists during the elections. Most of the threats were received from the supporters of Bolsonaro while some were attributed from the supporters of the Workers Party (PT).

In March, unidentified attackers opened fire on a bus carrying 28 reporters who were covering a PT event, nobody was injured in the attack. Although there records of PT supporters threatening and assaulting reporters.

October 25, 2018

Suspected killer of Haripur journalist held

HARIPUR: The police on Wednesday announced the arrest of one of the two suspected killers of a local journalist.

Sohail Khan, the 28-year-old correspondent of a local daily, was gunned down on Oct 16.

Ali Sher and Hamayun Mussarat, sons of Mussarat Iqbal of Hattar village, were nominated in the murder FIR.Police promise early arrest of other suspect

DPO Mansoor Amman told a news conference here that the local investigators with the support of intelligence agencies tracked the suspects’ presence in Chaman area of Balochistan.

He said a police team arrested Hamayun Mussarat from Chaman border as he was trying to cross into Afghanistan.

The DPO said the other suspect, Ali Sher, was at large but he would be held very soon.

PROTEST WARNING: Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists president Afzal Butt on Wednesday warned that the journalists would launch a series of protests across the country before staging a sit-in outside parliament house if the killers of Haripur-based two journalists were not arrested without delay.

He was addressing a condolence reference held by the Haripur Union of Journalists for slain journalist Sohail Khan.

Mr Butt said journalists were exposed to violent attacks in the country.

“The killing of Bakhshish Elahi and Sohail Khan of Haripur district is enough to corroborate that Pakistan is really a dangerous place for media persons,” he said.

The PFUJ president said those lacking the knowledge of human rights and freedom of speech and expression should quit the profession as a person claiming to be a journalist must know about constitutional rights of the citizens and had to work for their protection.

He warned that if the police didn’t arrest the killers of two journalists without delay, journalists would begin a series of protests not only in Hazara division but also in other parts of the country before staging a sit-in outside the parliament house in Islamabad.

Former president of the National Press Club, Islamabad, Shakil Anjum condemned the killing of two Haripur-based journalists and said the journalists in other parts of the country would help the families of the deceased get justice.

President of the Doctors Association, Haripur, Dr Hasnain Raza Turabi said the killing of journalists in Haripur showed the government’s weakness against outlaws.

Khyber Union of Journalists president Saiful Islam Siafi claimed that the police were using delaying tactics for the arrest of the journalists’ killers despite the assurances of KP Assembly speaker Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani and thus, increasing insecurity of other journalists.

Dawn

The Nation: Haripur police arrest journalist’s killer

October 23, 2018

Nawaz strongly refutes high treason allegations against him

LAHORE: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has strongly rejected the allegations of high treason levelled against him in a petition pending adjudication before the Lahore High Court and maintained that “the act of sedition is even unthinkable for me”.

Though Mr Sharif did not attend Monday’s hearing of the petition by a full bench, his counsel Naseer Ahmad Bhutta submitted a written reply and told the judges that his client was due to appear in trial proceedings before an accountability court of Islamabad. Moreover, he said he took an impression at the last hearing as if Mr Sharif was supposed to appear before the court for once.

However, Justice Syed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, who heads the bench, said that if this was the case the other respondents, including former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Dawn journalist Cyril Almeida, would not be present in the court. He directed the counsel to file an application if Mr Sharif wanted to seek exemption from personal appearance and the court would look into it as per the law.

Appreciating the conduct of Mr Abbasi, Justice Naqvi said on a lighter note that the former’s frequent appearances before the LHC benefited him a lot as the people of Lahore had elected him to the National Assembly in a recent by-poll.

LHC asks petitioner to come up with arguments on maintainability of petition levelling sedition charges against two ex-PMs, Dawnjournalist Cyril Almeida

“I also like to appear before courts,” responded Mr Abbasi.

“You may become prime minister again if you keep visiting the court,” Justice Chaudhry Masood Jahangir, a member of the bench, told Mr Abbasi.

Lawyers for Mr Abbasi and Mr Almeida submitted written replies to the court. The cabinet division secretary and the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority also filed their replies.

The counsel for the petitioner pointed out that Mr Almeida had in his reply only said that he wrot what Mr Sharif told him in the interview.

“What else a journalist should say?” Justice Naqvi asked the counsel.

The court adjourned further hearing till Nov 12 and directed the counsel for the petitioner to come up with arguments on maintainability of the petition.

Besides questioning the maintainability of the petition, Mr Sharif in his reply argued how a person, who had made the defence of the country unconquerable, could be a traitor? Being a three-time prime minister he was fully conversant with the challenges faced by the country, its army and law enforcement agencies, he stated.

“If people of Pakistan who put their trust in my party and made me prime minister three times are also traitor,” Mr Sharif stated, adding that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz also secured maximum votes in the recently held by-polls.

The former premier stated neither the whole nation nor state institutions could find out the alleged treason committed by him except the one who had filed the petition. “Does the petitioner also know the whereabouts of the dictator who is facing proceedings under Article 6 for abrogating the Constitution of this country?” Mr Sharif asked.

He stated he had nothing to do with the protocol, if any, provided to journalist Cyril Almeida at Multan airport. He denied having discussed the minutes of a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) with then prime minister Abbasi.

Refuting the allegation of sedition by the petitioner, Mr Sharif maintained that he never uttered any seditious remarks or gave any anti-state interview. He argued that under the High Treason (Punishment) Act 1973, proceedings can take place only on a complaint by the federal government, which has exclusive discretion in the matter.

Mr Sharif requested the court to dismiss the petition for being not maintainable.

In his reply, Mr Abbasi rejected the allegations of violating the oath of office of the prime minister in any manner. He also dismissed the allegation of discussing the minutes of the NSC meeting with Mr Sharif.

Filed through Advocate Ahmad Rauf, Mr Almeida stated in his reply that he had written verbatim the words of Mr Sharif, which had been quoted. He stated the news article was published in good faith on a matter of general public interest and the words were quoted verbatim.

He rejected the allegation of being taken to Multan airport in a special plane or given any protocol, explaining he travelled to the city by road from Islamabad for the purpose of covering the pre-election situation in southern Punjab.

“The petitioner has taken one statement out of context while ignoring the entire news article which includes rather important public interest statements and has to be read as a whole,” he added.

The reply stated Mr Almeida “is a patriotic journalist who has been writing in the daily Dawn on matters of public importance for years and is under a constitutional duty to apprise the nation of the views of their public leaders”.

Mr Almeida told the court that he was “neither a necessary nor proper party” in the case and requested it to dismiss the petition.

Dawn

October 23, 2018

Demo against media lay-offs

LAHORE: The Joint Action Committee of journalists and media workers on Monday staged demonstrations at Charing Cross and simultaneously on the stairs of the Punjab Assembly building against lay-offs and salary cuts.

A large number of newsmen, cameramen, photojournalists and media workers as well as lawyers and civil society members participated in the protest and chanted slogans against their employers.

JAC convener Azam Chaudhry, members Arshad Ansari, Naeem Hanif, Faisal Durrani, Ziaullah Niazi as well as senior journalists Rana Muhammad Azeem, Raja Riaz, anchors Mubashir Luqman and Arif Hameed Bhatti addressed the protesters. Speakers demanded that the government conduct audit of media houses, explaining the advertisements’ payments as well as taxes paid.

Punjab Information Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan, speaking on the floor of the house as well as at the demonstration, asserted that the government had neither cut any advertisement nor reduced advertisement rates during its [so far] two-month tenure. He said advertisements were being issued to newspapers as well as news channels without any interruption.

“It is strongly condemnable, if owners of media houses are sacking and cutting salaries of journalists and media workers on the pretext of suspension of advertisements,” the information minister said.

The minister also invited the JAC members at DGPR on Tuesday (today) 11am to show them the record of government advertisements issued to newspapers and channels during the last two months.

The minister said a code of conduct with regard to the media workers was being prepared, which would eventually be passed by the Punjab Assembly.

According to the code of conduct, he said, any complaint by a journalist or media worker about non-payment of salaries for two or more months would empower the DGPR to suspend advertisements for those media houses. He said the advertisements would be restored only after the complainant would withdraw complaint for being satisfied with the media organisation.

JAC convener Azam Chaudhry said the demonstration marked the beginning of a protest movement and all journalists and media workers bodies would continue to hold protests and also besiege the media houses, owners’ offices as well as their residences.

He announced that the journalists and media workers would hold a sit-in outside Lahore Press Club on a daily basis from Wednesday (tomorrow) at 4pm.

Dawn

October 22, 2018

CPNE concerned over govt steps to ‘control’ media

KARACHI: The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) Sunday expressed deep concern over the proposed Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority (PMRA) to be formed under a new media law submitted to the Senate by the federal government to control print, electronic and digital media in the country.

It also pointed out that such a move had caused severe fear and panic within the media because freedom of media, freedom of expression and people’s right to information might be compromised by reinforcing governmental influence and rigid control of media on various pretexts under the garb of proposed media law.

In a joint statement, CPNE President Arif Nizami, Senior Vice President Imtinan Shahid and Secretary-General Dr Jabbar Khattak said it was a deplorable fact that unlike the practice of previous regimes, the present federal government – trampling the traditions – had submitted the proposed law on the media for legislation without consulting the CPNE and other media associations creating the doubt of mala fide intentions of curbing media freedom under the garb of a new media law.

They reminded that in the past during General Ayub Khan’s regime, CPNE, PFUJ, APNS and other media associations, united with pro-democracy political and civil society activists, had compelled the dictator to annul the ill-famed Press and Publications Ordinance.

“Those who dream of imposing their agenda on the media by re-imposing the notorious system of press advice under proposed media law should never forget the fact that with the help of people, past governments were forced to abandon the infamous practice of press advice,” they said, adding that if someone still believed in curbing the freedom of media through any black law, then they were actually mistaken because journalists, media workers, civil society and pro-democracy political workers in Pakistan had the power to get rid of black laws aimed at usurping the freedoms protected by the constitution itself.

They advised the government to abandon the mindset of imposing discriminatory, prejudiced and special laws for the media, and instead create an enabling environment by allowing the media to work freely under the normal and ordinary laws and not to enact any media law without consulting CPNE and other media associations.

The leaders of Pakistan’s premier media body announced that the CPNE would shortly come up with its detailed stance after discussing the proposed law in a meeting of its standing committee.

The News