Media safety – Page 43 – Pakistan Coalition on Media Safety

June 30, 2017

Pakistan: Journalist arrested posting critical posts on Facebook

Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on June 29 charged Zafar Achakzai, a journalist working for Daily “Qudrat” in the city of Quetta, under the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016. Local journalists believe Achakzai was arrested for comments he had posted on Facebook criticizing security agencies and the arrest of Majeed Khan Achakzai, a member of the provincial assembly, for killing a traffic police constable in a hit and run car accident.

Earlier, on June 25 paramilitary Frontier Corps raided Achakzai house, broke down the door and took him into custody. According to family members they also took into custody his mobile phone and laptop computer.

The FIA produced Achakzai in the court of judicial Magistrate after his arrest and the court allowed remand of the journalist for six days.

The Balochistan Union of Journalists (BUJ) expressed concern over the way Achakzai was taken into custody, and added that anyone charged with violating the law should be promptly produced before a court of law.

June 29, 2017

Pakistan: Journalist picked up by paramilitary forces without warrant for critical posts on Facebook

On June 25, Zafar Achakzai, a journalist working for Daily “Qudrat”, was abducted by men in plain clothes from his home in Quetta the capital of Pakistan’s restive province of Balochistan. Achakzai’s whereabouts remain unknown though local journalists believe he was picked up by the paramilitary Frontier Corps.

According to local journalists Achakzai was picked up for the comments he had posted on Facebook criticizing security agencies and police for the way they had arrested Majeed Khan Achakzai, a member of the provincial assembly, for killing a traffic police constable in a hit and run car accident.

The abduction of Achakzai without proper arrest warrants follows the pattern started this year for harassing bloggers and social media activists. Earlier in the year, unidentified persons abducted six bloggers and social media activists. Five were released after more than two weeks, though one, Samar Abbas, remains missing. The bloggers alleged they were tortured during their detention, possibly with the involvement of government agencies. No one has been held accountable for the kidnapping or alleged torture and no action has been taken by the government to investigate these cases.

June 24, 2017

Case against 39 UAF employees for torture of journalists

FAISALABAD: The Civil Lines police on Thursday night registered a case against 39 University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) officials including director student affairs, security head, principal officer public relations, security officer and guards for torturing journalists a few days ago.

The name of UAF Vice-Chancellor Dr Iqrar Ahmed is not part of the FIR as the applicant, Yousaf Cheema, a reporter for Saama TV, removed his name following his (Dr Ahmed’s) visit to the news channel office on Thursday night. Dr Ahmed briefed the Saama TV staff on the details of the incident.

In the original application submitted on Thursday night, his name was mentioned and Cheema alleged that journalists were tortured at his behest.

Police registered a case under section 148,149, 337-A1,337-F1, 337-L2, and 427 of PPC against 39 university employees including Shahbaz Talib, director student affairs, Dr Jalal Arif, principal officer, Aamir Butt, security chief, Dr Haroon Zaman, principal officer estate management, and security officer Latif Niazi.

Sources told Dawn that Dr Ahmed apologised to the newsmen for the incident and said a probe into the issue had been initiated. He said a team comprising three deans was investigating the incident with the help of footages recorded through the cameras installed at various points by the university.

“I had nothing to do with the incident as I was in Islamabad and came to know about it through media reports,” he claimed.

Following the meeting, Cheema submitted another application to the Civil Lines police after excluding the name of Dr Ahmed.

Dawn

June 23, 2017

Journalists demand action against security guards

FAISALABAD: Journalists Wednesday took out a protest rally against the excesses of University of Agriculture Faisalabad’s security guards who beat TV channel cameramen and reporters a day before.

The journalists from electronic and print media on Thursday were taking photographs of a protest launched by six rusticated students in front of the University of Agriculture. The students were detained by the security guards at the university gate as their entry into university premises had been banned. When the journalists belonging to six TV channels and newspapers tried to cover this event, the UAF security guards baton-charged the journalists while the security guards deputed inside the university main gate pelted stones on them.

Dozens of journalists including Yousaf, Rizwan, Qadeer, Umair and Mudassar were injured and had to be shifted to Civil Hospital by Rescue 1122, where they are still under treatment.

Led by FPC President Ejaz Ansari, the journalists protest rally started at Faisalabad Press Club and before terminating in front of Zila Council Chowk, it reached the RPO office where they staged a sit-in and raised slogans against the UAF security guards for excesses on working journalists and demanded immediate sacking of the university security guards.

The participants of the protest rally expressed dissatisfaction at late registration of a case by Civil Lines police in this “excess case” and demanded that the RPO intervene and issue direction to the police to register case afresh as per allegations leveled by the office-bearers of the press club in their application.

They demanded a high level inquiry into this sad incident and punishment to those responsible for thrashing and beating journalists. They threatened that in case justice was not awarded, they would extend their protest throughout the Punjab province.

The News International

June 23, 2017

Violence against journalists

In a society where a culture of violence and machismo seems to have become entrenched, journalists whose job it is to report on events and developments both positive and otherwise can often find themselves in a difficult situation. This was again illustrated by a couple of incidents that transpired earlier this week. At the University of Agriculture Faisalabad, the institution`s security personnel rained blows and kicks on journalists belonging to Samaa TV who had arrived to cover a student-related incident.

The media persons had earlier been refused entry into the premises but were filming the university from outside, as was their right, when the guards attacked them. Journalists from other TV channels who reached the scene in support of their colleagues were meted out the same treatment. Then in Islamabad, media persons filming what appeared to be electricity theft by a madressah, were set upon by the seminary students who beat them and pelted them with stones.

Both incidents reinforce the dangers that journalists in Pakistan have to contend with on a daily basis, even when they are not engaged in tasks that may be hazardous. However, despite the injuries sustained, it is fortunate that no one lost their life on this occasion. Far too many times, journalists in this country have paid the ultimate price for attempting to fulfil their duty to keep their audience abreast of up-to-date, accurate information because very often that information is deleterious to the interests of one party or the other. Earlier this month, Bakhshish Elahi, senior journalist and bureau chief of a local newspaper, was shot dead; his colleagues are convinced that his reporting was the motive. Admittedly, our rambunctious electronic media has not always conducted itself according to journalistic ethics. There have been many instances when it has been intrusive, voyeuristic and sensationalist. That said, there is no excuse for violence, and the government should ensure that the culprits are brought to book. Shooting the messenger should not be an option.

Dawn

June 22, 2017

PFUJ rejects govt’s proposed draft of Journalists Protection Bill 2017

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) out rightly rejected the proposed final draft of the journalists Protection and Welfare Bill, 2017 as neither it provided protection framework for journalists nor any punishment for those involved in killing of journalists.

“This is a sham bill aimed at befooling the journalist community as well as the international community”, said a statement issued by the PFUJ on Wednesday. According to a press release, the statement said that government particularly the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has totally ignored the amendments proposed by the PFUJ into the said Bill. The PFUJ had proposed several amendments to protect journalists who are the prime targets of killing by vested interest. It had also proposed punishment for attacks on media houses, DSNG vehicles and media workers.

“The government has only incorporated a minor proposal of the PFUJ regarding holding of an inquiry in connection with attacks on media property/personnel by an official not less than a rank of superintendent of police,” the statement said. The government wants to create an impression that the Bill has been prepared with the consent of the PFUJ but this is not the case”.

The recent killing of Bakhsheesh Elahi, a reporter of TV channel and a daily in Haripur, has proved beyond doubt that the present laws have failed to protect the life of journalists and it’s the need of the time to incorporate stringent measures into the toothless Bill.

Similarly, the recent kidnapping attempt of Aizaz Syed, reporter of Geo TV, is another example that the spy agencies of the country need to be reigned and the PFUJ had proposed concrete steps in its recommendations that had been ignored by the government.

It said the Tuesday attack on the DSNG van and thrashing of reporters and camera persons of a private TV in Faisalabad is another proof that those involved in such heinous crimes need to be punished by heavy hand.

While totally rejecting the government’s protection bill, the PFUJ called upon the political parties to oppose the government-sponsored bill and pressurise the government to incorporate the proposals given by the journalists’ community. The PFUJ also demanded of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting not to table this bill in the National Assembly in its present form.

The News International

June 22, 2017

No case in attack on journalists

FAISALABAD: An application has been submitted with the Civil Lines police for registration of a case against the vice chancellor, security head, principle officer public relations and the security guards of the University of Agriculture Faisalabad in the case of attack on journalists.

Yousaf Cheema, a reporter for Saama TV, submitted the application on Tuesday night. He said police had not been registering the case saying they would do so only if the name of VC Dr Iqrar Ahmad would be deleted from the application.

`A footage is available that guards had tortured me and my fellows when we had been performing our professional duty. We visited the university in connection with a followup story of the students who had been expelled f rom the varsity.

Journalists staged a protest demonstration from the press club to Zila Council Chowk. Later, they staged a sit-in outside the RPO office and chanted slogans against the university administration and the law minister.

An officer told Dawn that there was pressure to delete the name of Dr Iqrar from the application. He said a case would also be registered against the journalists for injuring university employees.

Dawn