Government’s apathy towards murder of journalists slated

ISLAMABAD: Journalists on Thursday warned the federal and Sindh governments against their inaction and warned that a time may come when they are compelled to approach Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif for arrest of the killers of the media persons.
The participants of the protest rally organised here by Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) and National Press Club (NPC), chanted slogans against the apathy of both the federal and Sindh governments and demanded early arrest of the murderers of Satellite Engineer of Geo News Arshad Ali Jafri and senior journalist Aftab Alam.
RIUJ president Ali Raza Alvi said that an important meeting of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) would be held in next couple of days after which the journalists would announce their future course of action against murder of media persons.
“I want to ask where are they who have been making tall claims about peace in Karachi. Two media persons have been killed but the federal and Sindh governments have not bothered to take any effective action,” he said.
He said they would suggest in the meeting with PFUJ to stage a sit-in against the federal and Sindh governments because they have failed to implement National Action Plan (NAP) that was devised to root out the elements who want instability and lawlessness in the country.
Ali Raza Alvi said that the government had formed commission to probe into the attack on senior journalist Hamid Mir but now it never wants to make its report public, adding “We warn the government against its apathy for the last time, because now journalists are determined that they would leave no stone unturned to get justice.”
RIUJ general secretary Bilal Dar said they have been making requests to the government to arrest the killers of the media persons but it seems that the journalists would be compelled to approach Army Chief General Raheel Sharif to get justice.
“If the government cannot provide justice to the people including journalists then it has no right to rule the country. If the interior minister takes credit for peace in Karachi then he should also show responsibility regarding serial killing of the media persons,” he said.
He said an Islamabad-based journalist Umair Abbasi was also killed last week but still the police have failed to trace his murderers, adding, “It seems that there is no law in the country and the murderers are roaming on the streets with full impunity.”
NPC finance secretary Waqar Satti said, “Had the government implemented National Action Plan, it would have been able to root out terrorism and lawlessness from the country but unfortunately that did not happen and the people are facing its consequences.”
Senior journalists Nasir Hashmi and Abid Abbasi also spoke on the occasion and demanded of the government to arrest the killers of Arshad Ali Jafri and Aftab Alam at the earliest.