Dictatorship clothed in democracy dangerous: speakers

ISLAMABAD/LAHORE/KARACHI: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) on Tuesday launched country-wide ‘Sahafat Bachao Tehreek’ to record protest against unannounced censorship.

In this regard, rallies were held in front of the press clubs of Islamabad and the four provinces. The All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS), Pakistan Bar Association and Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE) have also announced to join the protest and send the names of their representatives for the joint action committee to the PFUJ President Afzal Butt.

On the call of PFUJ, a rally was taken out from the National Press Club in Islamabad on Tuesday which was attended by journalists, lawyers and civil society activists in large number. PFUJ Presidents Afzal Butt and Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) President Mubarik Zeb were leading the rally. Participants of the rally, holding banners and placards, reached D-Chowk and chanted slogans against the unannounced censorship and downsizing in the media organisations.

Afzal Butt said while addressing the media workers that media was facing unannounced censorship for the first time in the country’s history. He said this censorship must stop. He said downsizing in media organisations must also stop and media workers should be paid their pending salaries without further delay. He said the present crisis has compelled several newspapers to reduce their pages, while electronic media channels are also reducing their staff.

Former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Ali Ahmed Kurd, who also joined the protest, said unfortunately the feudal lords and nawabs are ruling the country and the common man still runs from pillar to post for getting justice. He said media is the voice of the oppressed people, but it too is now victim of suppression. He said He said no one can deprive the media from its right of speaking truth.

Eminent human rights activist Tahira Abdullah said media freedom is a sensitive issue, which must be handled carefully by the government. Former secretary SCBA Aftab Bajwa said the lawyers stand by the media in their fight for freedom of media.

RIUJ former president Nusrat Javed, RIUJ former secretary Bilal Thaheem, senior vice president Aasir Sajjad Syed, Sardar Shaukat, Awami Workers Party leader Asma and Shafqat Warraich of Stat Bank Union also addressed the protesting journalists.

Meanwhile, the PPP leader Syed Khursheed Shah said Imran Khan is pushing the country towards unemployment and unbearable inflation which would threaten the country and democracy.

Talking to media, the former leader of the opposition in NA said dictatorship loathed in democracy is dangerous. He said the massive stock exchange plunge, drop in country's foreign exchange reserves and depreciating rupee have created a major crisis. He criticised the raise in CNG prices as well as the gas and power tariff, and said this will increase inflation manifold and hurt a common man. Khursheed said the prime minister represents 22 million people of the country and must address the issues facing the country with statesmanship. The PPP leader said selling cars and buffaloes and donation campaigns are not a solution to the serious issues which must be addressed by devising strategies based on PTI's electoral pledges and manifesto.

Khursheed said the PTI should refrain from cosmetic measures and focus towards resolving the serious economic and social issues confronting the nation. The PPP leader said such half-hearted measures will not only lead to inflation but will also stem the growth. He asked the PTI government to fulfil their pledge of creating 50,000 households and ten million jobs for the unemployed youth.

In Lahore, journalists’ organisations on the call of Punjab Union of Journalists (PUJ) held a protest demonstration outside the Punjab Assembly against invisible curbs on media, downsizing and non-payment of salaries by different media houses.

PUJ President Naeem Hanif, Treasurer Waseem Farooq, APNEC Chairman Mansoor Malik, Journalists’ Panel Arshad Chairman Ansari, SAFMA General Secretary Imtiaz Alam, EMRA President Shaukat Ali, ENCA President Rizwan Anwar, Press Gallery President Khawaja Naseer, members of Nawa-i-Waqt CBA Union, MWO’ representatives Mursaleen Ghazi and Sheikh Sultan, World Columnist Association’s Sardar Murad Ali, Barabri Party Chairman Jawad Ahmad and a large number of journalists participated in the protest. They condemned the censorship on the media and asserted that journalists had never accepted curbs in the past nor would accept now.

Naeem said the PUJ would not tolerate downsizing and non-payment of salaries. “The journalists are together in this collective cause and would continue to fight for their right.” Mansoor said, “We reject unannounced censorship on media organisations, downsizing and delay in disbursement of salaries to the working journalists.”

Ansari said all journalists’ organisations had joined hands to protect the workers’ rights. Jawad said his party would raise the issues of media curbs, downsizing and non-payment of salaries at all forums.

The protesters condemned violation of journalists’ rights and announced to continue the movement to ensure protecting of the rights of journalists. Meanwhile, Punjab Information Minister Fayyaz-ul-Hasan Chohan participated in the protest to show solidarity with the journalists. He informed that government was negotiating with the owners of media organisations. A policy was being formulated according to which the advertisements to those media outlets would be stopped that failed to pay salaries of up to two months to their employees, he added.

“We will not tolerate injustice with working journalists,” he said, adding that the government would consider proposals from all stakeholders while formulating the policy in that regard. Chohan said the policy regarding ads was in final phase, which would be enforced after approval by the chief minister. He also claimed that no censorship was being imposed on media and journalists were free to perform their duties without any restrictions.

He said all media organisations and newspapers were of equal importance for the government, adding that the government had cancelled declarations of 650 dummy newspapers, which were violating the rights of the deserving people.

Meanwhile, the Bahawalpur Union of Journalists staged a similar protest on the call of PFUJ outside Fareed Gate, Bahawalpur. The protest led by PFUJ Vice President Ameen Abbasi and Bahawalpur Union of Journalists President Majeed Gill was largely participated by the working Journalists from different media groups, social and political activists, trade unionists, JI’s former MPA Waseem Akhtar and Pakistan Kissan Board Chairman Jam Hazoor Bukhsh.

In Karachi, journalists staged a protest sit-in to draw attention of the government authorities towards ongoing downsizing in media houses across the country. The sit-in preceded by a rally was arranged on the joint appeal of PFUJ and Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ).

Journalists were joined in a large number by associated professionals earning their living through media industry under one or the other capacity and often denied of their salaries for months. They also demanded doing away with the rampant trend of contractual employment. Activists committed to the cause of social and economic empowerment of masses in general and working class in particular were also part of rally that was taken out from the Karachi Press Club.

Meanwhile, secretary information of the PPP Dr Nafisa Shah said that PPP believes in freedom of the press and always stood for the freedom of media. “The media in ‘New Pakistan’ is in crisis of censorship due to the incompetency of the present rulers,” she said in a statement.

Dr Nafisa Shah said the free media always act as a mirror in the free democracies but the present rulers did not want to see their face in the free media and in a bid to hide the real face and their lies before the media the government is using the state power to gaggle the voice of the free media. “The government wanted to hide its incompetency and lies and targeting the media with muting the voice of free media and tools of censorship,” she said.

Justifying the protest of the PFUJ, Dr Nafisa Shah said the media was justified in its protest due to the government anti-media policies. “The PPP always stood with the media workers for their rights,” she said.