JI says steps curtailing press freedom bringing bad name to country

LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami central Shoora expressed deep concern over the growing curbs on media and stressed that freedom of expression was guaranteed to the people as constitutional right.

A resolution adopted by JI central shoora meeting chaired by senator Sirajul Haq said the steps being taken to curtail press freedom were bringing bad name to the country at the international level. The resolution pointed out that JI Ameer Sirajul Haq had moved a bill in the Senate seeking protection of journalists’ right to information that had been kept in cold storage since long.

JI Shoora said at a time when every effort was being made at international level to facilitate journalists to discharge their duties without fear and threat, steps were being taken in the country to create hurdles for journalists. It said restrictions on the press freedom also implied financial murder of journalists.

Through another resolution, the Shoora suggested to the new government not to seek fresh loan from the IMF as it would be available on stringent conditions and would bring flood of price hike besides crippling government’s ability to bring about its promised economic reforms.

It noted that during the next seven to eight months, the country would require around $12 billion to pay off the instalments of foreign loans, and for necessary imports. It said as a goodwill gesture for the new government, Saudi Arabia, China and the Islamic Development Bank and some other sources had announced easy loans on low interest rate. The total amount so expected was around $9 billion. The authorities concerned had also approached the Pakistanis abroad for help. It said the immediate amount should be met through donations by the patriotic and wealthy people within the country and abroad.

At the same time, it said, steps must be taken to immediately retrieve around $200 billion sent abroad by the Pakistanis through money-laundering. Shoora called for immediate tax reforms by increasing direct taxes on the wealthy and making the taxation system just and balanced. It said if the new government was able to do this, it would definitely be a new Pakistan. It also demanded just distribution of country’s resources in all parts of the country to remove the complaints of injustice.

Earlier, JI Ameer Sirajul Haq talking to a delegation of international Khatm-e-Nubuwwat Council, led by its chairman Maulana Ismail Shujabadi and Maulana Azizur Rehman Thani, which called on him at Mansoora, said the Pakistani nation would safeguard the law concerning Tahafuz-e-Khatm-e-Nubuwwat at every cost.

JI ameer said instead of adopting an apologetic policy on the Khatm-e-Nubuwwat issue, the government should take a firm stance in this regard as this was a matter of our faith. He said the state should own this law and implement it in the way the Article 295 C was being implemented because there was no bigger act of terrorism than the desecration of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).

Meanwhile, a delegation of LUMS University students called on the JI chief at Mansoora. Talking to the students, the JI chief said the country needed to modernise its education system and called for uniform education system. He said this would require allocation of more funds for the sector.