JOURNALIST FRATERNITY DEPLORES PRIME MINISTER OF PAKISTAN NAWAZ SHARIF'S ATTITUDE

Karachi: November 28, 1998

This protest meeting of the journalists fraternity organised by the Karachi Press Club (KPC) strongly condemned the raid at the residence of senior journalist Idrees Bakhtiar of BBC, in Karachi and of Monthly Herald on Thursday November 26, and demanded arrest of the concerned police officials.

This incident could be an eye opener for the authorities how police used their power to harass the innocent citizens. Police are to protect the citizens, not the government. Excesses against common citizens in day to day matters have become part of the police culture in our society. The law enforcers must be made accountable if government really wants to restore the confidence of the citizens in Police, prompt actions are required against men in uniform if they are found involved in raids, arrests and manhandling of common men.

The meeting held at the KPC deplored the attitude of Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz Sharif towards the newsmen on Friday when they wanted to register their protest with him over the incident with the senior journalist and continued excesses with the Journalists and Press Photographers. The Prime Minister had a time to visit Empress Market under police protection but he could not give a few minutes to journalists to listen to their grievances.

Rejecting the inquiry committee formed by the Prime Minister, the meeting said that the incident with Mr. Idrees Bakhtiar was naked police aggression and demanded the case should immediately be registered against them and the raiding party be arrested. If the Prime Minister can order the immediate arrest of an official of a Law Enforcement Agency responsibly for stopping the Chief Justice of Balochistan High Court, the same could be applied to the case of the BBC correspondent in Karachi.

The meeting through another resolution also demanded action against the officials of an intelligence agency, who recently harassed the editorial staff of the Newsline. Despite the assurance of the Federal Information Minister Mushahid Hussain, no action has yet been taken against the concerned officials.

The meeting also condemned the police raid at the residence of the brother of Naseer Saleemi on Friday night and his detention. He was taken in APC and was kept at the CIA centre. His release become possible after the Vice-President of the KPC Nazeer Leghari talked to the DIG, Karachi.

The meeting also condemned continued police excesses with the Press photographers and urged the authorities to ensure their protection.