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

Media Release: Division Bench of the SINDH HIGH COURT could not take up case of 7th wage board award implementation

          KARACHI:- A Division Bench of Sindh High Court (SHC) which sized the issue of the implementation of 7th wage board award could not take up the case as the main counsel of the APNS Abdul Hafeez Pirzada moved an application seeking adjuntment for 7 days.

           It may be record that on the last date of the hearing i.e. 18th March, the Division Bench of Sindh High Court reserved judgment in a petition filed by the APNS and the media owners, challenging vires of the Newspapers Employees (Conditions of Service) Act 1973, after hearing detailed arguments of the counsel for All-Pakistan Newspapers Society), Pakistan Herlad Publications Limited (Daily Dawn), Deputy Attorney General, Mian Khan Malik, counsel for Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) Shehanshah Hussain, Pakistan Herald Workers Union counsel Faiz Gangro and Jang Employees Union Counsel Akhtar Husain.

          Further on the previous date, the bench which was comprising of Mr. Justice Mushir Aalam and Mr. Justice  Aqil Abbasi, heard of three separate writ petitions filed by media owners’ organisation APNS through which they inter-alia challenged the validity of the Newspaper Employees (Conditions of Service) Act 1973, vires and justification of 7th Wage Award and the powers of the Implementation Tribunal for Newspaper Employees (ITNE), Islamabad.  

          The litigation was initiated by the media owners since the announcement of the 7th wage board award. The award was supposed to the operative from July 1, 2000, but is still in the pipeline and could not be implemented.

         The media owners at their own as well as their organisation APNS are agitating various judicial forums and successfully delaying the implementation of the 7th wage board award by getting and securing restraint orders from the courts of law on various pretexts and misrepresentations, as well as wrong interpretation of law.

          Not only this, media owners made the ITNE literally inoperative for proceeding against media owners on charge of the non implementation of 7thwage award by getting restrain orders from the Sindh High Court, even without notice to the PFUJ or any workers Union any where in Pakistan.

          The media workers are suffering for over a decade and are being forced by newspaper owners to work on salary package of 6th WBA under which the minimum salary and benefits for newspaper employees were fixed keeping in view prices of daily use items, POL, electricity, gas, etc. prevailing in the early 1996.

         Miseries of media persons still remain unresolved and they are being paralysed by media owners by employing various unlawful, immoral, unethical, illegal tactics with the jugglery of making the law inoperative, ineffective for personal gains and advantages.

        On the last date of hearing, the counsels for media workers and Deputy Attorney General argued before the divisional bench that the stance taken by the newspaper owners that “the constitutional mechanism under the Nicosa 1973 is against the fundamental rights and is a discriminatory law” was nothing but distortion of the fact as well as wrong notion and misinterpretation of the right of freedom of expression.

       They further argued that the Federal Government and Provincial Governments are bearing almost 70 per cent of the financial burden in the wake of implementation of 7th wage award in the shape of increase in wages and other fridge benefits of the employees.

        They further submit that the government is also providing a number of concessions in the shape of taxes, import duties, levies of various duties and other incentives to media owners with an objective to financially help them out so that they implement the wage board decision and extend financial benefits to their respective workers.

         They contended that media owners have already implemented six wage awards, out of 7, and in this back-drop too it appears that they are just prolonging their lawful obligation of the implementation of the wage award by taking shelter under frivolous litigations.

          The learned divisional bench of SHC after hearing the arguments of the parties reserved its judgment, however, the status of the same is still the same and we all are eagerly waiting for the announcement of the judgement.

          In another writ petition, through which the newspaper owners challenged the powers of ITNE, could not be heard as the court time was over. The court fixed  it for today (Monday), however, the case could not take up for hearing by the learned bench in the wake of adjurnment, sought by the main counsel of the media owners. 
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

 
             ISLAMABAD, : The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has condemned the coward attack at Civil Hospital Quetta following a shooting incident on Mannan Chowk, Quetta in which a banker Arshad Zaidi was wounded.
            The injured succumbed to injuries at Civil Hospital. After this incident, teams of private TV channels with their DSNGs also rushed to the hospital.

            When reporters and cameramen of the TV channels were covering events, a powerful blast occurred.

             According to reports, at least 12 people, including a TV journalist and two senior police officials lost their lives and 35 others, including five journalists, sustained injuries.

           The reports further revealed that Samaa TV cameraman Malik Arif lost his life in a the suicide bombing at the Quetta hospital while five other journalists, Noor Elahi Bugti of Samaa TV, Salman Ashraf of Geo TV, Fareed Ahmed of Dunya TV, Khalil Ahmed of Express TV and Malik Sohail of Aaj TV were among the injured.”
 
           Expressing concern over the state of affairs prevailing in Balochistan, the PFUJ said the incident had again proved that media persons are working in hostile conditions without any security or protection, and they easily fall prey to such incidents.

          The PFUJ said that incidents of firing, blasts have become order of the day in various parts of the country, especially in Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa, and in tribal areas in which a number of journalists have seriously been injured while about six journalists have already lost thir lives while performing thier professional assignments after the 9/11 incident in Pakistan.

           The PFUJ pointed out that media persons are given assignments in war / conflict zones without providing them required security gadgets, jackets or any capacity-building exercise for reporting in such situations.

            The PFUJ further contended that neither the media owners care about their legal obligation, nor the government was taking any notice of such types of incidents, in which the lives of media persons are at stake.

            The PFUJ pointed out that media persons were never trained nor  any protective material given to them despite demands made by the PFUJ.

  
          The PFUJ urged the government to take notice of the Quetta incident and provide compensation to the family of the deceased cameraman and injured journalists.

           The PFUJ cautioned that if media owners did not provide security to media persons, the PFUJ would be compelled to seek registration of criminal cases against them for ignoring their responsibilities towards their staff.

            Malik Arif had been in journalism for the last 30 years. He had risked his life on countless occasions to bring best coverage. Malik Arif had been working with the private channel for the past two years.

            Arif had joined PTV in 1975 as a light man and was then promoted as cameraman. He is survived by four sons, a daughter and a widow.

            The PFUJ termed the incident a shameful act of terrorism which reflected inhumane and callous nature of the perpetrators. The journalist community is taking the incident as an attack on the media, the PFUJ said.

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

Media Release:

 PFUJ demanded  withdrawal of  Presidential award conferred upon Late Gen. (Retd) Mujeeb ur Rehman

        ISLAMABAD; :- Expressing surprise over government decision to confer presidential award upon Late Gen. (Retd) Mujeeb ur Rehman, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has termed it a move to insult media persons on the one hand and a black spot on the face of present democratic government of the PPP.

       The PFUJ in a statement here on Friday reminded that the former secretary information was a mastermind during the dictator Gen Zia’s rule in imposing censorship for a long period in the history of Pakistan.
        “Not only this, hundreds of media persons and entire leadership of the PFUJ was put behind the bars along with office-bearers of the affiliated UJs, workers of the various newspapers, including Daily “Mashriq”, Daily Imroze, Daily Pakistan Times, Daily Amn, Karachi; Daily Maswaat, Daily Al-Halal”, Karachi, Weekly “ Alfatah”, Weekly “Mahar”, and a number of others publications, on the orders of late Majeed”, the PFUJ added.
           The statement pointed out that “It was same Gen. Majeeb who resorted to all sorts of torture and barbarism for disbanding the PFUJ and eliminating it from the scene and finally succeeded in making a division  within its fold by the dint of lourement, threats.” The PFUJ further pointed out that “again it was Gen Majeeb under whose direct command and rule a number of journalists were tortured, lashed and awarded RI. He also launched character assassination campaign agianst democrary lovers and most popular political leadership of the masses, media persons and lawyers.

       The PFUJ regretted that a man who was known as one of the most cruel, and who was against political workers, media persons and who ruthlessly used all state resources for defaming and underming the image of journalists, political forces, got removed hundred of journalists from the state rune organisations PTV, Radio Pakistan, APP, and publications of the defunct National Press Trust.

      The PFUJ contended that Late Majeed also introduced culture of hypocrisy, nepotism, favouritism, and man chauvinism and number of restrictions for the working women in PTV. He was infact enemy of intellect, and those who believes on realism and nature. But to such a person decorating for any “quality” is a shameful and condemnable act.

        The PFUJ demanded to the President Asif Ali Zaradari to take notice of such painful and unpopular decision and ordered fairy inquiry and whosoever responsible for adding insult to injuries of the journalists  should be taken to task and ordered for withdrawal of the award and to protect the image of her government as well as consoling the media persons who are felling it an insult for all democratic lovers and fighters of the freedom of press and expression.

             Islamabad, :- The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has expressed concern over the constant threats to Khuzdar Press Club by a militant group incensed by coverage given to nationalist parties and groups in Balochistan and demanded of the Federal Government as well Chief Minister, Balochistan, to ensure safety of working journalists of Khuzdar and across Balochistan.

         Reports reaching in the PFUJ suggested that “the threat has come from “Baloch Musallah Difah Tanzeem” (BMDT), an outfit which also publically claimed responsibility for a hand-grenade attack a month ago at the Balochistan University of Engineering and Technology during an event celebrating Baloch culture.”

          It was further reported that the BDMT is also hurling threats to journalists and pressuring them to keep away them from giving coverage of all those events related to, or organized by, nationalist parties and groups.”

          The PFUJ pointed out that all democrcy lovers, media, human rights, lawyers organisations and civil society should take a united and firm stand against all those militant forces who are active to suppress the right of information, freedom of press and independence of the media.

          The indifference of keeping mum over such a sensitive and alarming issue would surely encourage such militants to indulge in violence, which is a very dangerous trend.

          Under the Constitution and law both the Provincial and Federal  governments are also under obligation to protect life and priority of each and every ordinary people. But here the government responsibilities become more imperative as it is question of not an individual safety but on the gun and mussels powers some individuals were bent upon suppressing the rights of the freedom of press and threatening media persons with impunity.

          The PFUJ also regretted to observe that the journalists under threat are mostly district correspondents whose life is not exactly a bed of roses even in ordinary circumstances.

          The media persons of the Balochistan especially working in the remote areas of this beigest province of the Pakistan need full support from all forces especially those from all those who are believers of the democracy, rule of law, freedom of press, expression  and care about human rights, the PFUJ added.

         The PFUJ made it clear that threats and oppression in the past have failed to deter brave journalists and those who think that from the reign of terror, threats they can bow down journalists would not succeed in their nefarious designs.

         The PFUJ, however, believed that such incidents should be taken very seriously, and it is imperative that all political, democratic forces should forge unity for defeating all those forces who believe in achieving their nefarious designs by resorting to threats and terror.

         The Federal and Balochistan government should also realise their responsibilities for protection of life and property of the citizens and to ensure condusive working environment for media persons and to protect the freedom of expression and press, the PFUJ added.

Media Release: PFUJ laments registration of case against 100 journalists in Lahore

              ISLAMABAD, April 3: The Pakistan Federal Union Journalists (PFUJ) has sharply reacted over registration of a case at the Faisal Town Police Station against about 100 journalists on the complaint of doctors of Jinnah Hospital on Friday and added that it proves that the Punjab government and the police are plying tricks to tame media persons.

           In a statement here on Saturday, the PFUJ pointed out that the police implicated media persons on criminal charges of rioting, blocking road, creating disturbance, ransacking and damaging government property, manhandling and torturing doctors.

         In the FIR among the accused, most of the journalists are office-bearers of the Punjab Union of Journalists (PUJ) and the Lahore Press Club while a number of journalists belong to various newspapers, electronic media, including photographers and cameramen who were also implicated in the case.

        The PFUJ reminded that government functionaries and people at large are fully aware that the doctors were taking law into their hands, and had thrashed crew of Express TV, and had ruthlessly beaten up and t0rtured and injured and had caused damage to camera while the mediamen were performing their duties in the wake of a death at the hospital due to negligence of doctors.

         Again when fellow journalists on receiving this information on the receipt of excesses of doctors rushed to the scene for their rescue, the doctors instead of pacifying media persons attacked the journalists in an organised way and severely beat them up in the presence of police. In this backdrop, the police and the government of Punjab should have played a neutral role, but media person were implicated in a concocted criminal case of serious offence for pressuring and forcing them to not to pursue their case against doctors.

        The PFUJ said this shameful act of the Punjab Police and the government have expose their true faces and proved that media persons were targetted under a calculated move to  defame and pressure so that they remain away from reporting events of public importance.The PFUJ also expressed surprise that the higher judiciary did not take notice of this serious incident of highhandedness with media persons by doctors and police.

       The PFUJ cautioned that if case registered against media persons at Police Station Faisal Town was not immediately withdrawn and if culprits involved in torturing journalists at Jinnah Hospital were not arrested, the PFUJ and its affiliated unions would be constrained to resort to countrywide series of protests. The PFUJ would move an appeal at the globe level for urging the international media organizations, human rights activists, UNO to ensure safety of media persons.

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

Media Release: PFUJ lauds tabling of 18th Amendment 

           ISLAMABAD, April 4:- The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has congratulated the entire national political leadership and democracy lovers over tabling of the 18th Amendment with consensus before the parliament and termed it a landmark achievement in the constitutional history of the country.

          The PFUJ, in a statement here on Sunday, reminded that it was the Pakistan People’s Party founder-chairman Saheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who had given the 1973 constitution to the nation with consensuses after 24 years of the creation of the country.

          “Now it was again the PPP which under the command of President Asif Ali Zardari, after 37 years made yet another milestone of bringing all political forces and federating units together to reshape the constitution as per aspirations of the nation,” the PFUJ added. 

          The PFUJ paid rich tributes to Senator Raza Rabani and the members of the parliamentary committee on constructional reforms for their months long tireless efforts which paved the way for this remarkable achievement.

          The PFUJ pointed out that the 18th amendment bill would be an enormous victory for President Asif Ali Zardari who, against all expectations and difficult times, has constantly been perusing the political leadership of the country to demonstrate coolness and statesmanship and political maturity for giving the nation a true parliamentary system of the government with sovereignty of the parliament.

          The PFUJ announced that after formal passage of the 18th Amendment, it would hold a national seminar at Islamabad in which entire political leadership of the country would be invited for paying tributes for doing such a memorable and laudable task.

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