Category: Terrorism

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JOURNALISTS, SECURITY FORCES HAVE LAID DOWN LIVES IN FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM: PERVAIZ

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Senator Pervaiz Rashid Tuesday said that the journalists and security forces had made great sacrifices in the fight against terrorism by laying down their lives.

Addressing the participants of a journalists organizations’ sit-in here in front of the Parliament House, he said without the sacrifices of security forces, journalists and media workers the year 2015 could not had been made safer than the year 2013.

He said Operation Zarb-e-Azb was enjoying the support of media too. The war against terrorism was being fought with the power of pen and gun. Their enemy is common and the war would continue till complete elimination of terrorism. Attacking any media person or law enforcer amounts to attacking all of them.
Peace in the country was impossible without complete elimination of terrorism, he said

Media, he said was the fourth pillar of the state. Attacking journalists is tantamount to attacking the entire state, he added.
Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif immediately after assumption of his office, underlined that elimination of terrorism was his top priority. The Prime Minister and Chief of Army Staff had also acknowledged the sacrifices of journalists in war against terrorism.

The National Action Plan (NAP), Zarb-e-Azb, media and every institution was playing its role in elimination of terrorism, he said.

Pervaiz said the state was duty bound to provide safe and secure environment to media persons in performance of their duty.

He said people should strongly condemn terror incidents in their respective areas and take out huge rallies to disseminate strong message to terrorists that nobody liked such abhorable acts.

He agreed with the suggestion that a special compensation package should also be announced for the martyred journalists in line with martyrs of security forces.
The government would announce special package for journalists in consultation with all stakeholders, he added.

He said the services of special prosecutors would be provided to journalists for pleading the cases of martyred journalists. The government is determined to completely eliminate the menace of terrorism, he added.

A committee headed by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had also been formed for the security of media houses, he said.

A meeting would soon be held in consultation with stakeholders concerned to review security arrangements. The provinces had also been asked to beef up security of media houses.

Business Recorder

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SC suspends conviction of Geo TV owner by GB court

SC suspends conviction of Geo TV owner by GB court

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court suspended on Wednesday a Nov 25 verdict of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) No. 1, convicting media tycoon and Geo TV owner Mir Shakeelur Rahman and sentencing him to 10 years rigorous imprisonment and Rs300,000 in fines.

A three-judge Supreme Court, bench headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, also asked Attorney General Salman Aslam Butt to assist the court on a question raised in the petition to determine the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court over the territory of GB. The date of the next hearing will be decided later.

The ATC had sentenced Mr Rahman over the airing of the May 14 episode of Dr Shaista Lodhi’s morning show, Utho Jago Pakistan, where the allegedly inappropriate use of a piece of qawwali prompted rival media groups to initiate a smear campaign against the Geo network, accusing it of committing blasphemy.

Read: Gilgit court hands 26 years’ jail to Geo TV owner

The petition before the apex court, moved by senior counsel Khawaja Haris Ahmed on behalf of Mr Rahman, asked the court to suspend the ATC’s conviction and stay any warrant of arrest, attachment or confiscation of passport in any territory that was part of the territory of Pakistan.

In the volatile environment after the programme aired, 71 FIRs were registered in nearly all major cities of Pakistan, including nine that were filed in GB, under blasphemy.

Apex court criticises police for ‘falsifying’ report, summons IG over anti-judiciary banners.

The latest petition contends that under Article 247(7) of the Constitution, the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court was barred only in tribal areas, but not in respect to any part of Pakistan. In terms of Article 1(2d) of the Constitution and on the basis of the ratio laid down in the SC judgment in the 1999 Al-Jihad Trust case, GB was held to be part of Pakistan.

Thus, if GB was a part of Pakistan, then the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, especially under Article 184(3) of the Constitution, also extended to the territories, courts, authorities and persons functioning and/or residing in GB as well, the petition pleaded.

GB is considered to be a part of Pakistan even by the Supreme Appellate Court of Gilgit-Baltistan and that the courts in GB were considered as courts in Pakistan and the judgments passed by the apex court were also binding on all courts in the territory, the petition pleaded.

Moreover, the petition argued, the offences allegedly committed by Mr Rehman fell exclusively within the domain of the Pemra Ordinance 2002, by virtue of over-riding effect given to the provisions in the ordinance.

Anti-judiciary banners

Meanwhile, a different bench, headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal, on Wednesday ordered Inspector General of Islamabad Police Tahir Alam Khan on Wednesday to appear before it in the second week of January next year. The summons is with reference to the matter of banners that went up in the Red Zone as well as different parts of the capital on the night of May 22.

Sponsored by an unknown organisation calling itself the ‘Farzand-i-Islam’, the banners levelled serious allegations against Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja.

On Wednesday, the court criticised Aabpara Station House Officer (SHO) Khalid Awan for his failure to apprehend the culprits behind the banners.

The court also rejected a police report, which claimed that freelance journalist Mohammad Rashid was behind the banners. The police report also claimed that Rashid had put up banners also against anchorperson Hamid Mir in the past.

Rashid’s email, Facebook and bank accounts had also been examined, but nothing significant turned up, the police report said, adding that a trial court was also conducting proceedings against Rashid and his three accomplices.

The apex court, however, reprimanded the police officer for presenting “false reports” and ordered the Islamabad IGP to appear in person and submit a comprehensive report on the matter.

DAWN

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Gilgit court verdict challenged in Chief Court

Gilgit court verdict challenged in Chief Court

Editor-in-Chief of the Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman has challenged the verdict given by the court of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) filing an appeal against the ruling in the Chief Court of GB.The Chief Court has also issued a formal notice to prosecution in this regard.It is hoped that the Chief Court of GB will dispense justice to the appellants.Meanwhile, Raja Shakeel Advocate said that the editor-in-chief of Jang Group was sentenced in absentia. Moreover, Muhammad Iqbal Advocate said that the ruling of the Anti-Terrorism Court was a sheer violation of the law.

The News

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GB court ruling against Jang Group ridiculous, says Ansar Burney

GB court ruling against Jang Group ridiculous, says Ansar Burney

KARACHI: Human rights activist and former federal minister for human rights Ansar Burney has termed the ruling against chief of Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and others awarded by Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) court ridiculous in the judicial history, says a press release issued on Monday.

Ansar Burney said that several questions were being emerged through filing of case against Geo by the murderers of humanity and through hurriedly announced ruling of the court while the GB court had no jurisdiction to hear this case.

He said that the magistrate of Gilgit-Baltistan areas had also declared Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and others as proclaimed offenders in the same offence which had caused nothing but humiliation across the world.

He said that firstly the case could not be filed in anti-terrorism court and secondly the concerned court did not announce verdict against the petitioner and witness who were involved in killing of several people. He said that the so-called ruling of the court was contempt of justice.

Ansar Burney appealed to the prime minister to put an end to this ruling against chief of Jang Group and others by using his constitutional power. He asked the Gilgit-Baltistan government to purge their courts of such persons who are making courts a laughing stoke in the name of justice.

He said that the verdict of Gilgit-Baltistan court should be condemned which had become the cause of defamation of the nation and country across the world. He also demanded that investigation into this act should be carried out.

The News

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GB court verdict threat to press freedom

GB court verdict threat to press freedom

KARACHI: The president of the Council of Pakistan News­paper Editors (CPNE), Mujibur Rehman Shami, and the president of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS), Hameed Haroon, have, in a joint statement, expressed dismay at what they called unlawful conviction of Mir Shakeel ur Rehman, the Editor-in-Chief of the Jang-Geo media group and associated media persons, by an anti-terrorism court in Gilgit-Baltistan.

They said that the conviction was incompatible with press freedoms enshrined in Article 19 of the Constitution and that the Gilgit-Baltistan (Empowerment & Self-Governance) Order, 2009 under which the judicature of that territory had been set up, was violative of the fundamental rights guaranteed to all Pakistani citizens in the Constitution. They said: “The unlawful conviction of media persons in Gilgit-Baltistan constitutes a major threat to the existence of a free press throughout the country.”

The joint statement issued on Friday further said that whereas some fundamental rights had been conferred under the controversial order, two major fundamental rights enjoyed by citizens of Pakistan under the 1973 Constitution were notably missing from it — the fundamental rights enshrined in Articles 10A and 13 of the Constitution.

CPNE, APNS urge PM to take notice of ‘unlawful conviction’

The statement pointed out that Article 10A provides that in any criminal charge, a person shall be entitled to a fair trial and due process and Article 13 guarantees that “no person shall be prosecuted for the same offence more than once”.

“Thus, if citizens of Pakistan not resident or not even physically present in the territory, were to be transported for trial from Pakistan to Gilgit-Baltistan for alleged offences, such persons would be denied two important fundamental rights.”

The presidents of CPNE and APNS have urged the prime minister to take immediate notice of the ‘unacceptable and anomalous’ situation by appropriately modifying the Order 2009. “Under Article 31 of this controversial order, the executive authority of the Government of Gilgit-Baltistan must be exercised to secure compliance with Pakistan laws, and this is a process that must be initiated immediately.”

Under Article 34 of the order, the prime minister has the power to remit, suspend or commute any sentence passed by any court or tribunal of Gilgit-Baltistan.

The statement said that the prime minister “must exercise his power to dispose of the sentence by the anti-terrorism court in Gilgit-Baltistan. Otherwise, Pakis­­tani journalists would always remain in fear of being dragged into criminal proceedings by a flawed dispensation in Gilgit-Baltistan on the flimsiest of pretexts — that their reportage has also been disseminated in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Dawn

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Blasphemy sentence against TV channel will have chilling effect

Blasphemy sentence against TV channel will have chilling effect

The prison sentence for blasphemy handed down by a court in Pakistan against four people, including the owner of a major private TV channel and one of its star actresses, will have a chilling effect on freedom of expression and the media, Amnesty International said.

The organization also noted serious concerns about the fairness of the trial.

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) sentenced in absentia Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, owner of Geo TV and its parent Jang Media Group, actress Veena Malik, her husband Asad Bashir and TV host Shaista Wahidi, to 26 years in prison each for airing a “contemptuous” programme.

Geo TV has a tense relationship with Pakistani authorities and was earlier this year temporarily taken off air following the blasphemy allegation.

“This sentence will have a chilling effect on freedom of expression in Pakistan. It is appalling that someone should be sent to prison for decades over a TV programme,” said David Griffiths, Amnesty International’s Deputy Asia Pacific Director.

“This judgment shows how Pakistan’s deeply flawed blasphemy laws have become another tool to silence media.

“There are also serious concerns about the fairness of this trial as the defendants were sentenced in absentia and never had the opportunity to answer the charges in court.”

The ATC also fined the four convicts 1.3 million Pakistani rupees (USD 12,800) each.

The blasphemy charges relate to a programme aired by Geo TV in May this year, when Malik and Bashir re-enacted their wedding ceremony with a Qawaali, devotional music sung to dictate the life and teachings of Prophets, which concerned the marriage of Fatima Zahra, daughter of Prophet Muhammad, with his cousin, Ali.

Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman is based outside Pakistan, while Malik and Bashir have fled the country after receiving death threats when the blasphemy allegations were first levelled against them. Malik told Amnesty International that she fears for her life if she returns to Pakistan.

Pakistan’s blasphemy laws violate international human rights law and standards. Amnesty International urges the government to reform the laws as a matter of urgency to provide effective safeguards against their abuse, with a view to their eventual repeal.

“Although the blasphemy laws are disproportionately used against religious minorities, today’s sentencing underlines the fact that no one in Pakistan is safe from being targeted,” said David Griffiths.

“The death threats against Veena Malik and Asad Bashir show how even an accusation of blasphemy could lead to the threat of violence. Authorities should do more to protect those at risk of violence – not fuel the fire by using blasphemy laws to settle political scores.”

Geo TV has been locked in a standoff with Pakistani authorities since its main anchor, Hamid Mir, in April this year accused the spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of being behind an assassination attempt on him.

On 6 June this year, the governmental body Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) suspended Geo TV’s license for 15 days over the blasphemy allegation. PEMRA imposed a similar ban on another private TV station, ARY TV, on 20 October for “maligning” the country’s judiciary.

“The Pakistani authorities must end their attempts to harass critical voices in the media into silence.

“Instead of trying to control media outlets and journalists, the Pakistani authorities should do more to protect them so they can carry out their work freely and without intimidation and harassment,” said David Griffiths.

Amnesty International

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Gilgit court hands 26 years’ jail to Geo TV owner

Gilgit court hands 26 years’ jail to Geo TV owner

By: Jamil Nagri

GILGIT: An anti-terrorism court has sentenced the owner of the Jang-Geo group Mir Shakeelur Rehman, host of Geo TV’s morning show Shaista Lodhi, actress Veena Malik and her husband Malik Asad to 26-year imprisonment and a fine of Rs1.3 million each for hurting religious sentiments of people in the show.

Announcing the verdict on Tuesday, ATC judge Raja Shahbaz ordered inspectors general of police of Islamabad, Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to arrest the convicts and execute his order.

The court also asked the commissioners of Karachi and Rawalpindi and the deputy commissioner of Islamabad to sell the property of the four ‘proclaimed offenders’ under Section 19(10) of the Anti-Terrorism Act in case of disobedience.

On May 26 this year, Himayatullah Khan, senior vice president of the Gilgit-Baltistan chapter of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat, had lodged an FIR with the Baseen police station saying the show had defiled Ahle Bait by playing a contemptuous Qawwali in its morning show.

According to the judgment, the competent authority had constituted a joint investigation team (JIT) on June 6 on a request made by the DIG. After completion of the JIT investigation, the case was submitted before the ATC on Sept 1.

The judgment said the accused had been declared absconders by the JIT.

“After evaluation of the entire evidence of the prosecution, I am of the considered opinion that the prosecution has proved its case against proclaimed offenders and absconders,” the judge said in the verdict.

“I convict proclaimed offenders under sections of Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997,” the judge said.

The compliance report be submitted before this court within 90 days and the record of the case may be transmitted to the Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Court, the judgment said.

Meanwhile, a police source said that 10 FIRs had been registered against the owner of the Geo TV network and the morning show host at different police stations in Gilgit city, two in Skardu and one in Chilas.

DAWN

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