Web Desk – Page 174 – Pakistan Coalition on Media Safety

October 20, 2018

PPF concerned over continued attacks on journalists in Zimbabwe

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), in a letter to Emmerson Mnangagwa, President of Zimbabwe has expressed concern over continued attacks on the media practitioners by police officers in Zimbabwe.

PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali condemned such attacks on journalists and called on the authorities to immediately hold those officers involved in assaulting journalists. PPF also urges to provide security to the journalists and media workers in the line of duty.

According to Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Panashe Makufa, a local journalist with online publication Mail & Telegraph was assaulted by an ununiformed police officer in Harare on October 18.

Makufa noticed police arresting illegal foreign money dealers while he was passing through the Road Port regional bus terminus, he then started taking pictures of the incident. A police officer slapped Makufa for taking pictures and briefly detained him, accusing him of being one of the illegal money dealers.

The journalist was released after he presented his press card. Police officers present on the spot denied to identify the ununiformed officer who assaulted Makufa and said the culprit was from the Law and Order Section.

Makufa registered a case under RRB number 3659367 at the police base station located at Road Port bus terminus.

MISA added, in the past two months this is the sixth incident of police attack on journalists for recording police actions in Zimbabwe.

October 19, 2018

PPF condemns killing of journalist in Afghanistan

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), in a letter to Ashraf Ghani, President of Afghanistan has expressed concern over the killing of journalist Mohammad Salim Angaar on October 18.

PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali has condemned the killing and has called on the authorities to immediately hold accountable those responsible for this brutal act.

According to the Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC), Salim Angaar, a cameraman for state-owned TV, Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) was shot dead in Kandahar city along with four other people.

The attackers also shot police chief Gen. Abdul Raziq, the provincial spy agency chief Abdulmomin Hassankhail and cameraman Salim Angaar inside the provincial governor’s compound in Kandahar City. The attack also resulted in injuries to Kandahar’s governor Zalmai Wisa, another police chief and three NATO officials.

The incident happened after a meeting of high-ranking officials, including Resolute Support /NATO commander Gen. Austin Scott Miller inside the provincial governor’s residence.

AFJC further added that Taliban had claimed responsibility for the attack and said that the target of the attack were General Raziq and General Miller. General Miller managed to escape unharmed.

According to reports, President Ashraf Ghani has sent a high-ranking delegation along with Special Forces to Kandahar for investigation.

October 19, 2018

PPF condemns death threat to journalist in Paraguay

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), in a letter to Mario Abdo Benítez, President of Paraguay has expressed concern over the death threats to Noelia Diaz Esquivel, journalist and secretary general of the Sindicato de Periodistas del Paraguay (Paraguayan Journalists Union, SPP).

PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali has called on the Paraguayan authorities to immediately investigate the matter and find those responsible for threatening the journalist. PPF has also urged the authorities to provide security to Noelia Diaz Esquivel and her family.

According to Sindicato de Periodistas del Paraguay, on October 10, the journalist reported that she had received a death threat on her Twitter account from an anonymous profile. Diaz Esquivel received the threat after she published information about the murder of Dalma Rojas. Rojas was murdered along with her family by her ex-partner, who was charged on October 9.

Someone using the Twitter handle @LicPique tweeted, “Sincerely, with the fight that’s being undertaken, and with the pardon of Paraguayans, you need to be assassinated and I would be delighted to kill you… Afterward, I would go to jail happy. I’m going to do it. I will find you.”

After few hours of the post the twitter account was suspended.

The journalist also filed a complaint regarding the threat with the Cyber Crimes Division of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and also submitted a request to the National Police for implementation of the security protocol for journalists at high risk.

October 19, 2018

SHC restrains TV channel from defaming Bahria Town

The Sindh High Court has restrained Channel 92 and its anchorperson from airing any defamatory programmes and false statements against Bahria Town Chief Executive Officer Malik Riaz, summoning them on November 8, 2018, The Express Tribune has learnt.

The Bahria Town CEO and others filed a Suit No 1967 in the SHC against the channel and its anchorperson Muhammad Malick in which the plaintiffs stated that many things had been attributed against them, which were incorrect and false.

While hearing the suit, SHC Justice Junaid Ghaffar restrained Channel 92 and its anchorperson from airing any defamatory and false statements against the plaintiffs.

Bahria Town lawyers argued, “Freedom of speech and freedom of press is a fundamental right but same is subject to law and reasonable restrictions. Therefore, anyone is free to express his views and make fair comments on any matter of public importance but assertion of a fact defaming any person, without evidence, is not permissible.”

They further argued that the allegations were not only false and frivolous but extremely defamatory to the plaintiffs; hence, they filed the suit.

The court, while issuing notice to Channel 92 and Malick for November 8, 2018, passed an order restraining them from airing any false and defamatory statement against the plaintiffs.

The Express Tribune

October 19, 2018

Govt plans new body to regulate media: Fawad

ISLAMABAD: Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Thursday announced a broad outline of the newly proposed Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority (PMRA) to oversee print, electronic and social media.

The announcement set alarm bells ringing among stakeholders including journalists who complained that they had not been consulted on the issue and expressed scepticism over the government move that they said could contain media freedom in the country.

While briefing the Senate standing committee on information and broadcasting, Mr Chaudhry said the PTI government would regulate all media and “no one will be able to defame anyone under the new law”.

Amid uneasy gestures by senators, he told the committee that the government was working on a proposal to bring all media regulatory bodies under the proposed PMRA. This would be done by merging all existing rules and acts related to Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra), Press Council of Pakistan (PCP) and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), he said, adding that it would introduce one-window operation to address complaints and other regulatory aspects of the media.

Referring to the proposed law, Information Secretary Shafqat Jalil told the committee that in future electronic media would be allowed to air advertisements only after the approval of the information ministry.

The information minister said the draft had been forwarded to Pemra, PCP and other media bodies including Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors, All Pakistan Newspapers Society and the Pakistan Broadcasting Association.

Dawn

The News: Pemra to be replaced by new authority: Fawad

The Nation: Pemra to be replaced by new authority: Fawad

October 19, 2018

Journalists walk out of KP assembly

Parliamentary journalists of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Thursday staged a token walk-out of the house to register protest against the murder of the Haripur based journalist Sohail Khan. The Haripur based journalist had been shot dead after he submitted a formal application with the concerned police station of his district. The deceased was reportedly receiving threats from drug mafia. The incident has triggered a national wide protest of the country community.

After the walkout of the journalists from the Press Gallery of the provincial assembly, Deputy Speaker Mahmood Jan and Advisor to CM for industries, Abdul Karim Khan came out of the house and held negotiations with the protesting journalists.

They were chanting slogans demanding protection for journalist. The recent cold blooded murder of the journalist is second similar incident as another journalist associated with the same organization Bakhshish Elahi was killed six months back.

On the assurance of conducting inquiry and arrest of the accused the journalists ended their boycott of the coverage of the house proceedings.

The Speaker, Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani issued directives to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) for submitting reports to the house tomorrow.

Business Recorder

October 18, 2018

PFUJ to protest against reporter’s murder today

ISLAMABAD: Condemning the murder of Sohail Khan, a journalist from Haripur in Hazara of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists’ (PFUJ) Afzal Butt group has announced to observe protest today (Thursday) across the country.

“We strongly condemn the killing of Sohail Khan and call upon the KP government to immediately arrest the culprits,” said a joint statement issued by PFUJ president Afzal Butt and secretary general Ayub Jan Sarhandi.

Mr Khan was a reporter of daily K2 and he was allegedly killed by members of drug mafia for publishing a news story against their activities. “We have been told that Mr Sohail was threatened of dire consequences by the drug mafia and he had reported these threats to the police as well,” the statement said. The PFUJ expressed disappointment that no protection was provided to the journalist even after his complaint.

The PFUJ leaders said that this was the second murder of a journalist in Haripur within a year.

Last year, Bakhsheesh Elahi — a reporter of daily K2 — was murdered in Haripur. People involved in the murder have so far not been arrested. “Failure to arrest the murderers of Bakhsheesh Elahi speaks volumes about the inefficiency of the KPK police,” the statement said.

The PFUJ directed its affiliated unions across the country to hold protests at press clubs or union offices and hoist black flags to condemn the murder of Sohail Khan.

Meanwhile, the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) also announced to observe a black day on Thursday. Their protest demonstration will be held at 2.30pm at the National Press Club (NPC).

Earlier, Asia Programme coordinator of Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Steven Butler held a meeting with members of journalists’ union groups.

The delegation was led by PFUJ president Afzal Butt and RIUJ president Mubarak Zeb.

Mr Butler was briefed on issues being faced by media personnel in Pakistan, including threats faced by journalists. He was also informed about financial woes of media workers due to delay in payment of salaries and layoffs.

Dawn