Over 100 Pakistani Journalists Demand Protection for Press Freedom

Statement of the Committee for Free Press

LAHORE, Pakistan - May 20, 1999 (Free Press Syndicate): "The press in
Pakistan is being increasingly subjected to different kinds of intimidation
and strong-arm tactics with an objective to silence the voices of dissent.
Recent acts of terrorism, threatening calls, illegal detentions and
excessive use of state leverages against the journalists and the press have
now assumed a systematic pattern of harassment and victimization of some of
those who cannot otherwise be tamed or bribed by the authorities. After
failing to get certain journalists sacked from one group of publications,
the authorities have now taken a course of individual-persecution."

"In just a week's time, a senior reporter was abducted. A columnist, Hussain
Haqqani, was arrested by the agencies. The car of a senior journalist,
Imtiaz Alam, was burnt in an act of terrorism. Editor of The Friday Times,
Najam Sethi, has been charged with 'treason' on flimsy grounds. Senior
columnist of the Jang, Irshad Haqqani; Editor, The News, Islamabad, Dr.
Maleeha Lodhi; News Editor of TFT, Ejaz Haider; beside others, have been
threatened to fall in line. These journalists are well known for their
independent and critical views. Earlier, Chief Executive of The Frontier
Post Rehmat Shah Afridi was arrested. It is widely apprehended that much
more is in stock to eliminate the critics."

"A clear strategy is now discernable: The rulers are desperately trying to
use the national press against the foreign media, one local publication
against the other and a journalist against his or her colleagues. A
vilification campaign has been launched on the official media against both
local and foreign media and media-persons. Both state agencies and private
gangs are being used to intimidate the journalist community and suppress the
universally recognized right to speech and expression. In fact, the rise of
authoritarianism and fanaticism is undermining democracy, democratic values,
fundamental human rights and institutions of civil society."

The signatories to the statement have called upon their "colleagues in the
media in the country and the whole world to raise their voice in unison
against the wave of repression against the Pakistani journalists and in
support of the cause for a free press, and the right to speech and
expression." "We also appeal to human rights groups, democratic minded
people, bar associations and concerned citizens to join the struggle for a
free press and in defense of fundamental rights and the voices of dissent in
Pakistan."

The statement, issued by Imtiaz Alam, Convener, Free Press Committee, is signed among others by the following eminent journalists:

Zamir Niazi, I. A. Rehman, Aziz Siddiqui, Irshad Ahmed Haqqani, Dr. Khalid Ahmed, M. Ziauddin, Imtiaz Alam, Maleeha Lodhi, Shireen Mazari, Kamila Hyat, Imran Aslam, Ejaz Bokhari, Jugnu Mohsin, Beena Sarwar, Rashid Rehman, Asad Rehman, Prof. Azizuddin, Gul Hameed Bhatti, Anjum Rashid, Masood Hassan, Shaheen Sehbai, Sheikh Asad Rehman, Tahir Mirza, Zaffar Iqbal Mirza (ZIM), Shafqat Tanvir Mirza, Masudullah Khan, Aamir Ahmed Khan, Mehmood Ahmed Sham, M. H. Askri, Javed Bashir, Ashtar Payami, Shakil Sheikh, Anjum Niaz, Abbas Rashid, Kamran Shafi, Anwar Iqbal, Ghayurul Islam, Zubeida Mustafa, M. A. Majeed, Sami Ahmed, S. G. M. Budruddin, Mehmood Ali Hamdani, M. Aslam, Hassan Musanna, Jalat, Chanel Khan, Romman Ihsan, Zubair Rana, Athar Nadeem, Hameed Akhter, Zaffar Abbas, Hussain Naqi, Abdul Hameed Chhapra, and Syed Adeeb.

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