PFUJ team to probe Matiullah kidnapping incident

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has set up a six-member committee to probe the incident of kidnapping of Matiullah Jan from the high security zone of Islamabad as well as to monitor the progress in police investigation, says a press release on Wednesday. The Union has also decided to become a party in the Matiullah Jan contempt of court case to the extent of interpretation of Article 19 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The six-member committee will be headed by Pakistan’s senior most working Journalist M. Ziauddin with Munizae Jehangir, Nasir Malick, Fauzia Shahid, Asmatullah Niazi and Asif Bashir Chaudhry as its members. The chairman has also been authorised to set up any sub-committee and, if required, include more members from the civil society. The decision to form the committee follows PFUJ’s concern over the increasing frequency of such incidents. The PFUJ reaffirmed its commitment to free speech and democracy in Pakistan and expressed its concern over the increasing pressure on the media houses and the unannounced censorship imposed on the media.