Tag: Media attack

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Geo News team attacked during London Afghan protest

LONDON: A group of Afghan nationals held a protest outside Pakistan High Commission London on Friday afternoon which turned violent when a Geo News reporting team was attacked by some of the demonstrators.

“The Watan Group” had organized the protest to seek justice for the daughter of the Afghan ambassador to Pakistan who was allegedly kidnapped in Islamabad two weeks ago. Around 50 protestors took part and raised slogans against Pakistan.

There were three incidents of violence. At the start, a protestor punched this reporter and hit his phone while filming the protest. Immediately after that, this reporter called the police and informed them of the attack.

The police arrived after over 40 minutes. Just before the police arrived, around five protestors marched across the road where Pakistani media was present and one of the protestors punched this correspondent, seriously injuring and fracturing his thumb and making the phone fall on the ground.

Minutes later, a Pakistani student, Ehtesham Hasan, 20, who argued with the protestors peacefully, was cornered in Knightsbridge. Geo News cameraman Naseer Ahmed, who was filming the incident, was also attacked by three protestors who broke Geo’s logo and mic and beat him up in the presence of witnesses.

Around a dozen Scotland Yard officers reached the protest venue after a complaint was made to the police about the attack. The police took statements from this reporter and Ahmed.

The police then watched the CCTV camera footage and confirmed that a violent attack had taken place and that it was unprovoked.

The Scotland Yard officer incharge said: “We have reviewed the footage and we can confirm that the assault took place. With help from the footage, we will investigate this matter further. We have given crime reference numbers to the victims.”

The Watan Group’s chief organiser said he was unable to control the youth because “they are upset at the kidnapping of Afghan ambassador’s daughter”. When told that it was the organiser’s job to keep the protest in control, he said he cannot comment further.

A Pakistan High Commission spokesman said that the protest was recorded and the footage has been given to the police. The spokesman said that this is not the first time a protest has turned violent outside the Pakistan High Commission.

The High Commission previously launched a complaint with the police through the diplomatic core, but no action has been taken yet.

Source: The News

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IFJ concerned over attack on Geo-Jang offices

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on Thursday expressed concern over last week’s attack on the office of Geo and Jang media group in Karachi.

“The IFJ expresses its concern over the actions of protesters who attacked the Geo-Jang media group and the lack of police presence as this publicized protest turned violent,” it said.

IFJ said it welcomes the swift action by the anti-terrorism courts and calls for an urgent investigation into the handling of the matter by police on the ground at the time of the protest.

The central offices of the Geo and Jang media group vandalized by a group of protesters from the Sindhi community on February 21, in retaliation over a satirical segment aired on the network.

The mob reportedly angered by the airing of a satirical segment by Geo TV anchor Irshad Bhatti in a January 28 broadcast of the Khabarnak program. In the episode, the program presenter interviewed an impersonator of former Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari—a typical format of the show, where the show’s co-host Ali Mir adopts various characters. During the segment, Bhatti introduced the Mir’s character as the millionaire leader of bhukhe-nange (hungry and naked) people. He also accused him of exploiting people from Pakistan’s Sindh community.

Following a public backlash, Bhatti  issued an apology statement on February 21, claiming that his intention was not to disrespect the Sindh province or Sindhi language and clarifying that the program was satire and comedy. His apology statement was shared from his Twitter account also.

In response to the program, the Sindhi communities reportedly planned a peaceful protest in Karachi on February 21. But when the protestors reached the Geo office the protest turned violent, with protesters tearing down a gate and breaking through another main gated entry to the office on Chundrigar Road. During the attack, protesters threw chairs, broke furniture and glass, and allegedly roughed up receptionists, camerapersons, and other staff in the building.

Geo News officials accused police of failing to provide security to the office saying the protest was planned in advance.

Geo News Managing Director, Azhar Abbas, tweeted: “Strongly condemn attack on offices of Geo and Jang. They vandalised the reception area and beat our cameraman and staff. Where is the Govt??”

On February 21, Karachi police filed cases against over 200 people in connection with the attack and on February 22 the administrative judge of the anti-terrorism court remanded 13 suspects in judicial custody for their alleged involvement in the attack. The suspects were booked under Sections 147, 148, 149, 324, 342, 427 and 506-B of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.—IFJ media release

Website: Journalism Pakistan

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Attacking the media

Peaceful protest in a democratic society is a fundamental right, but if it turns into vandalism it undermines the very fundamental rights that a society must protect at all costs. The mob attack on the Jang/Geo Karachi office on Sunday, with staff threatened and attacked, is yet another sign of increasing intolerance in Pakistan. Though media organizations have reacted sharply to condemn this incident, and the authorities have also taken notice, such attacks increasingly threaten the lives and properties of media professionals. The protesters could have staged a peaceful demonstration and even handed over a complaint to the concerned staff regarding any grievances they had, but the path they chose just cannot be justified. This is not a proper way of venting your anger if you feel hurt.

If authorities fail to arrest those who are responsible for such attacks, the tendency grows into a widespread disease and encourages recurrence of such incidents. We have seen inquiries in the past too, but without proper follow-up the inquiry gets lost or gathers dust. To pre-empt such incidents in future, it is imperative that a comprehensive strategy be chalked out by the authorities to protect media offices and professionals. The groups which gave a call for the protests should have asked their members to remain peaceful and not get violent. When they converged on the vicinity of the Jang/Geo offices, the authorities should have cordoned off the area to prevent the protesters from barging into the offices. Ultimately, the responsibility of protecting the media lies with the government and state institutions. Violent incidents such as this one must stop so that the media in Pakistan can work independently and objectively. The management of Geo had already apologized for the controversial remark that hurt some feelings and triggered the anger. Such remarks do not reflect the policy of a media house, and after the apology the matter should have been settled. The media in this country – both electronic and print – is already under pressure from various quarters. Civil society and political forces must come to the rescue of fundamental rights, and freedom of expression is perhaps the most important one. As such, the police too must be more vigilant and ensure attacks of this kind cannot take place in the future with such impunity.

Newspaper: The News (Editorial)

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Media in the crosshairs

Media in the crosshairs

Media in the crosshairsThe media remained the target of attack through 2014, caught in the crosshairs of guns wielded by militants, political and criminal elements and even professional rivals throughout 2014. The country was declared the world’s most dangerous place for journalists by the International Federation of Journalists, ahead of war-torn Syria. Fourteen journalists were killed during the year in what appeared to be targeted attacks – in some cases for exposing wrongdoing, in others for motives that remain mysterious.

The year began on a bad note, with a television channel reporter shot dead on January 1 in Larkana, allegedly for showing a pharmacy selling a drug that had a ‘not for resale’ label on it. The life of journalists it seems comes cheap. There were other incidents too, such as the attack on the office of the Online International News Network in Quetta in August. Three persons, including two journalists, were killed. There were no arrests and, as the PFUJ noted in his report released at the start of the year, this impunity contributed to making the year that has just passed possibly the worst on record for media professionals in the country.

The lack of accountability was visible also in the failure to identify those who had staged attacks on prominent journalists or issued threats. Geo news journalist Hamid Mir narrowly escaped death in May 2014 when he was attacked by gunmen in Karachi. Raza Rumi had to flee the country after his car was shot at in Lahore in March the same year. We still do not know who was responsible for these assaults or the threats issued to journalists. The trend seems dangerously to be on the rise.

It was not only individuals who were caught in the delicate line fire. The Jang/Geo media house was taken off the air for 15 days following charges of blasphemy made during a morning show, with the incident leading to a mass campaign in which newspapers belonging to the group were attacked and all Geo channels erased from cable networks long beyond the Pemra dictated period of a 15-day suspension. There were strong suspicions of rivalries and politics at play in the unpleasant series of events.

Other channels came under attack too, with the PTV headquarters in Islamabad broken into by PTI and PAT activists on September 1 during their sit-in in the capital. For 40 minutes, the national network vanished from the airwaves. No one has been punished for what happened; and no one has been punished for the attacks made on media professionals by political activists including those from the PTI – a party which has repeatedly lashed out at Geo, accusing it of being an enemy agent with activists beating up its reporters covering their rallies.

While the year has been a bleak one for the media, it has also been a time when the need is arisen for it to reflect on its own actions. The issue of hate speech broadcast over channels has been raised again and again. This is a matter that has to be addressed. Media responsibility is just as important as is the need by the state to protect it. We also lost key figures who have shaped the media in Pakistan during the last year, with Majeed Nazami, one of the country’s best known editors whose contributions go beyond the realm of journalism, passing away in July 2014.

The hold of the media over the minds of people continues to grow. It has shown resilience in the face of violence, and its evolution continues at a time when it is clear it must play a critical role in shaping the future of our country.

The News

The post Media in the crosshairs appeared first on Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF).

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Journalist’s family remembers him at first death anniversary

Journalist’s family remembers him at first death anniversary

KARACHI: As the world celebrates the advent of the new year, the family members of journalist Shan Dahar are still trying to come to terms with his death at the hands of alleged gangsters on the same night, last year.

For Dahar’s children, New Year festivities have been permanently marred for the rest of their lives. “On New Year’s eve last year, when people were celebrating new beginnings, our lives ended when we received the body of my father,” said his 11-year-old daughter, Aliya, who has still not recovered from the incident.

Despite tall claims by the government and the journalist fraternity, the family is still running from pillar to post for the sake of justice. The death of Shah Dahar, 45, who was working as the bureau chief of Abb Takk TV in Larkana region remains a mystery. “It is a murder case. He was killed in a targeted assault, but this case is also facing the same fate as other high profile murder cases in the country,” said Saddaruddin Mashori, the president of Badah Press Club.

“Shan had exposed the suspects who had stolen rare antiques from Moen Jo Daro,” recalled Mashori. Before he succumbed to his wounds, Dahar had recorded a statement before the police in which he had pointed out the suspects who had shot him. “The police, however, released all nine suspects and have now disposed of the case,” he said.

Dependants’ lives

Shan was the only son of his parents and his daughters are now living with their grandmother. No one is willing to help them.Some ministers had gone to condole with the family. The chief minister had announced Rs0.5 million in compensation for the victim’s family while the Sindh Education Minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro had promised to bear all education expenses of his two daughters. Not a single penny has been provided to the family so far.

“It was just a photo session. We have received nothing except for condemnations,” said Roshan Bhutto, Dahar’s brother-in-law.

Meanwhile, Larkana DIG Sain Rakhio Mirani told The Express Tribune that: “Dahar was hit by a stray bullet during the New Year’s celebrations which is why the police released the suspects and disposed of the case.”

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has termed 2014 as the worst year for journalists in Pakistan. The statement issued by the PFUJ said that around 14 journalists have been killed, but not a single culprit has been arrested so far.

Express Tribune

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Pakistani Police Detain Militant in VOA Journalist’s Killing

Pakistani Police Detain Militant in VOA Journalist’s Killing

Police in northwestern Pakistan say they have detained a key militant commander who is accused in the 2012 killing of a reporter for Voice of America’s Deewa Radio.

Deputy Inspector General of the Mardan region, Mohammad Saeed Wazir, told VOA Deewa Radio that police arrested Pakistani Taliban commander Irfan Khurasani and two of his associates at a checkpoint near the town of Charsadda in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, after getting tipped off. Authorities also seized at least 100 kilograms of explosives from their vehicle.

Wazir said Khurasani, who went by Amanullah, was wanted in connection with a number of incidents, including extortion and attacks on schools, security forces and the killing of journalist Mukarram Khan Aatif.

Aatif, a reporter for Deewa Radio, was gunned down on January 17, 2012, during evening prayers at a local mosque near his home in the town of Shabqadar. He had faced repeated threats from militants, and the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the killing.

Aatif’s nephew and VOA Deewa reporter Arshad Muhmand was with Aatif at the mosque when he was shot. Muhmand told VOA that his uncle was killed because he worked for Voice of America. Aatif had been working for VOA since 2006.

Pakistan is one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists.

Muhmand said he and other reporters in Pakistan’s northwest continue to face threats from the Taliban. Local groups are urging journalists to be extra cautious following the December 16 massacre at a school in the city of Peshawar that left nearly 150 students and teachers dead.

VOA News

The post Pakistani Police Detain Militant in VOA Journalist’s Killing appeared first on Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF).

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Daughters of slain journalist strive for a better future

Daughters of slain journalist strive for a better future

PESHAWAR: Fourth-grader Saira Hayat was only four years old when unidentified people killed her father Hayatullah, a prominent journalist, on June 16, 2006 in North Waziristan Agency. A year later, Saira’s mother died in a bomb blast which targeted their house, leaving her, her two sisters and two brothers orphaned.

The tragedy that befell the five siblings was life changing. With the help of relatives and their father’s colleagues, they have managed to pull themselves together and fight for a brighter future.

Today Saira is studying at one of Peshawar’s most reputed schools, Frontier Model School. She and her two sisters feature among the institution’s shining stars for their extraordinary achievements and performance in academic and extra-curricular activities.

Leaving everything behind

Narrating how her family was forced to flee North Waziristan, Saira tells The Express Tribune her father was kidnapped on December 5, 2005 and his bullet-riddled body was found six months later.
“After killing my father, the assailants planted a bomb outside our house in NWA on November 17, 2007 and killed my mother as well,” says Saira.

According to Saira, Hayat who wrote extensively on al Qaeda, Taliban and fighting among tribes in Waziristan, had told his wife that his life was in danger and had revealed the names of the people who had been threatening him. “This is why my mother was killed,” she says, adding their house was destroyed in the blast and the siblings moved to Peshawar in 2009 with their uncle.

“We ran for lives and settled in Peshawar in search of peace,” recalls Saira, who has won a gold medal in her school for outstanding academic performance.

A helping hand

Since Hayat’s assassination, his children have been receiving Rs5,000 in monthly stipends from Nawai-e-Waqt group, the publication he contributed to. The newspaper’s former publisher, the late Majid Nizami, had announced the stipend and also paid for Hayat’s funeral.

Moreover, after an investigation into the journalist’s death, Peshawar High Court’s Justice (retd) Ahmad Raza Khan held the federal government responsible for bearing the expenditures of Hayat’s children.

The family has been receiving a grant from the government and Hayat’s brother Ihsan Ahmad along with friends and colleagues. The aid has been utilised to construct a house for the family in the provincial capital and send the children to school.

Saira’s elder sister Naila has also won a gold medal for her academic performance. When asked if she would want to go back to NWA, she says, “I don’t want to go back because of harsh memories associated with it; my parents died there, I cannot go back to the place that snatched my family’s happiness.”

Hayat’s family is too scared to go back; they feel they won’t be safe there. According to Naila, they have a comfortable life in Peshawar. Their uncle looks after them and the government also provides financial assistance.

Although life has been harsh, the sisters take it in their stride. They say they are determined to pursue higher education and strive to bring about a positive change in society.

Saira says she wants to follow in her father’s footsteps and become a journalist to fulfil his mission—to raise your voice for the truth. “Education is of utmost important, especially for women, to empower them both socially and financially.”

Express Tribune

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