Pakistan police start cases against 200 journalists for rallying
against curbs on media
PAKISTAN: Pakistan police have filed preliminary complaints against
about 200 journalists for defying a rally ban in the capital to protest
curbs on the media, the latest sign that the government has grown
intolerant of coverage of a 3-month-old political crisis.
Although no arrests have been made, the move came a day after
hundreds of journalists, lawyers and opposition supporters rallied in
Islamabad to protest the imposition of a presidential decree that
tightened the regulation of electronic media, including private
television channels accused of anti-government bias.
In addition, more than 60 opposition activists have been detained in
Lahore and five other cities in Punjab province since Monday on
government orders to prevent them joining the journalists’ protests, a
senior Lahore police official said on condition of anonymity because he
was not authorized to make media comments.
“I have talked to senior police officials but they are not telling me
under what charges the action is being carried out,” said Naveed
Chaudhry, a spokesman for the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party.
On Friday, the capital imposed a two-month ban on gatherings of more
than five people.
Iftikhar Chaudhry, the police chief in Islamabad, confirmed police
would investigate who had violated the rally ban.
“The registration of this case means that now we will investigate who
in fact participated in the rally,” he said. “Any further legal action
will be taken against the violators at the end of this probe.”
Meanwhile the United States cautioned Pakistan Tuesday against using
a newly introduced law to curb media freedom amid a judiciary crisis
that has rocked General Pervez Musharraf’s administration.
“The Pakistani government is going to need to come to terms with new
freedoms that are emerging in Pakistani society, concerning freedom of
expression and the media as well,” said State Department spokesman Sean
McCormack.
“We absolutely support the growth of responsible media in Pakistan
and how if this decree is used to actually shut down media, that is
something we are going to watch very closely,” he said.
McCormack said Pakistan should regard the role of the media as
“critical for it to function” while pointing out that there were also
“certain responsibilities to report accurately and objectively.”
Islamabad, Wednesday, AFP |
