25 Aug, 2010
Media Release: Country-wide Black Day by Journalists Against implication of 100 media persons by Lahore Police
Posted by: admin In: Media Release
PFUJ Secretariat:
Media Release: Country-wide Black Day by Journalists Against implication of 100 media persons by Lahore Police
ISLAMABAD, April 6: On the call of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), media persons observed a black day to mark their protest and anguish over registration of a false criminal case against over 100 journalists on the complaint of offending doctors.
According to reports reaching the PFUJ Secretariat, media persons across the country hosted black flags at the offices of their unions of journalists, press clubs, weared black armbands, held protest rallies expressing their resentment and concern over patronage of doctors by the Punjab government.
The rallies were staged by Karachi Union of Journalists, Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists, Khyber Union of Journalists, Balochistan Union of Journalists, Faisalabad Union of Journalists, Bahawalpur Union of Journalists, Gujranwala Union of Journalists, Abbotabad Union of Journalists, in their respective areas, demanding immediate arrest of offending doctors and their accomplishes involved in torture of media persons at the Jinnah Hospital, Lahore.
Protest rallies were also held in Multan, Rehim Yar Khan, Sukkur, Hyderabad, Sargodha and across the country in which media persons chanted slogans against highhandness of doctors, misbehaviour, and inhuman treatment towards Journalists of the Lahore at Jinnah Hospital.
The media persons regretted that doctors who are under oath that they would make tireless efforts for saving the live of human beings, are involved in resorting strikes, scuffles with relatives of patients, media persons, and such incidents have become an order of the day. The PFUJ pointed out that doctors were guilty of several criminal offences, including making journalists hostage and indulging in acts which attracted anti-terrorism laws, by beating, injuring, torturing journalists with sticks, iron roads, etc.
The doctors had also committed dereliction of both legal and medical responsibilities by calling for closure of emergency services of the Jinnah Hospital and other facilities which caused damage to many patients and resulted in some deaths too. The PFUJ said that police played the role of a silent spectator when media persons were being thrashed by doctors under a pre-planned conspiracy to put them under stress and ot punish them for their factual and prompt coverage of evens which expose negligence and other shortcomings of doctors and government.
The PFUJ made it clear that by such moves media persons cannot be cowed down and they would continue their professional assignments of keeping the nation informed at all costs and without caring any liking or disliking by any government or authority. “We consciously joined the profession of journalism with a clear-cut mission and agenda to report and cover events in true perspective without any fear and ill-will. So any reign of terror or injures to media persons cannot prevent them from giving up their professional obligations,” PFUJ maintained.
Shamsul Islam Naz
Secretary General
PAKISTAN FEDERAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS
12-Nazimuddin Road, F-6/1
Islamabad, Pakistan
Phone Office +92(0)51 2870220-1
Facsimile +92(0)51 2870223
Cellular +92(0)300 8665523
http://www.shamsulislamnaz.com
http://www.pfuj.pk
