Pakistan’s first Baloch language TV’s Managing Director went missing from Karachi. According to details Munir Mangal MD for the first ever baloch language TV “Baloch Voice: went missing from Karachi on April 7. He arrived from Bahrain to Karachi on April 7 after that he went missing.
According to his sister Aziza Mengal, who lives in Khuzdaar that on April 7 when he arrived from Bahrain to Karachi air port he was arrested by secret services.
His sister told on Phone that he was not allowed to met any relative and neither any one no where he is at the moment.
She fears that he is being tortured mentally and physically. Even though he have no she told he never had any relationship with any political party.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Radio Booster blown up in Pakistan
Sialkot (Pakistan), March 21, 2006: Pakistan Press Club (PPC) today condemned the attack on radio station in Pakistan. A radio booster was blown up in this South Waziristan Agency headquarters town on Sunday night March 19. Officials said the explosion, which took place at about 1:30am, had destroyed the aerial transmission unit and antenna of the radio station.The radio station had suspended its broadcasts after the explosion, AFP quoted senior producer Humayun Khan as saying.The government had installed the low frequency radio station in Wana in July 2004, which regularly broadcast programmes in Pashtu language.The radio station was installed to counter the propaganda of the militants and educate local people about development schemes in the area near Afghan border.The radio booster had come under attack soon after its installation in 2004. Militants blow up radio tower in Pakistani tribal town.
ISLAMABAD March 21, 2006: The journalists covering Senate proceedings on Monday March 20 staged a walkout at the upper house to protest, what was termed as, administrative harassment of a fellow journalist working in Karachi.The government later assured the mediapersons that it would launch an inquiry into the matter and take action if necessary.The protesting journalists informed the deputy chairman Senate, Mir Jan Mohammad Jamali, and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Raza Hayat Harraj, who visited the press gallery that their colleague Rashid Channa, a reporter in Star Karachi, had been receiving threats for last few days and his house was also burgled last week.The journalists demanded that the government should investigate the matter and take suitable action against those harassing their colleague.They also raised the issue of some 20 local journalists who were taken to Basha dam site by some northern areas officials, arrested, and then left stranded in Mansehra.Mr Harraj said the interior minister had been informed about the case of Karachi journalist, while the matter pertaining to northern areas would be conveyed to Kashmir Affairs Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat for necessary action.
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ISLAMABAD March 21, 2006: The journalists covering Senate proceedings on Monday March 20 staged a walkout at the upper house to protest, what was termed as, administrative harassment of a fellow journalist working in Karachi.The government later assured the mediapersons that it would launch an inquiry into the matter and take action if necessary.The protesting journalists informed the deputy chairman Senate, Mir Jan Mohammad Jamali, and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Raza Hayat Harraj, who visited the press gallery that their colleague Rashid Channa, a reporter in Star Karachi, had been receiving threats for last few days and his house was also burgled last week.The journalists demanded that the government should investigate the matter and take suitable action against those harassing their colleague.They also raised the issue of some 20 local journalists who were taken to Basha dam site by some northern areas officials, arrested, and then left stranded in Mansehra.Mr Harraj said the interior minister had been informed about the case of Karachi journalist, while the matter pertaining to northern areas would be conveyed to Kashmir Affairs Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat for necessary action.
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Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Pakistani Authorities blocked 12 websites, including Blogger.com
Journalists in one of the most dangerous zone for reporters are concerned about the decision of the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA), to block access to twelve websites which posted the cartoons of the prophet Mohammed which appeared in the Danish daily Jyllands-Posten.
The PTA on 28 February ordered Internet Service Providers to block the website blogspot.com (or blogger.com), taking down thousands of weblogs hosted by this tool.
“We believe that the decision to ban a website should only ever be taken by a judge, at the end of a fair trial. It is moreover unacceptable that the order to block a site should go through the PTA, which while apparently aiming at one blog hosted by blogger.com, led to the filtering of all websites sharing the same domain name,” said the organisation.
This order from the PTA comes around ten days after a petition calling on the government to ban the spread of “blasphemous content” through the Internet, was submitted to the Supreme Court. The court on 2 March formally asked the government to take such a step.
The bloggers network Global Voices, which revealed the case on its site, has been posting information about campaigns launched by bloggers to condemn the filtering.
Local access providers have applied the PTA decision by blocking access to all sites whose URL incorporates blogspot.com, that is all sites hosted by this service. It is however technically possible to ban access solely to a blog causing a problem.
The PTA on 28 February ordered Internet Service Providers to block the website blogspot.com (or blogger.com), taking down thousands of weblogs hosted by this tool.
“We believe that the decision to ban a website should only ever be taken by a judge, at the end of a fair trial. It is moreover unacceptable that the order to block a site should go through the PTA, which while apparently aiming at one blog hosted by blogger.com, led to the filtering of all websites sharing the same domain name,” said the organisation.
This order from the PTA comes around ten days after a petition calling on the government to ban the spread of “blasphemous content” through the Internet, was submitted to the Supreme Court. The court on 2 March formally asked the government to take such a step.
The bloggers network Global Voices, which revealed the case on its site, has been posting information about campaigns launched by bloggers to condemn the filtering.
Local access providers have applied the PTA decision by blocking access to all sites whose URL incorporates blogspot.com, that is all sites hosted by this service. It is however technically possible to ban access solely to a blog causing a problem.
Gitmo thug: Osama said he's prophet
A Pakistani millionaire held at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay testified that he met Osama Bin Laden twice and the Al Qaeda leader called himself "a prophet."
The testimony of Saifullah Paracha was included in thousands of pages of transcripts released Friday by the Pentagon because of a successful Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by The Associated Press.
Paracha, a New York Institute of Technology graduate, testified in English. He said he owns seven businesses, including a news agency, a construction agency and a manufacturing company in Pakistan, and travel agencies in New York, Chicago, Washington and San Francisco.
In 1999, Paracha said, he met Bin Laden in Afghanistan. The following year, he returned to Afghanistan to interview Bin Laden for his news agency, Universal Broadcast Ltd.
"He delivered [preached] the Koran, and said he was a prophet," Paracha said. "He said very nice things, very impressive."
But Paracha denied all the accusations raised in the January 2005 tribunal, conducted to determine whether he was properly classified as an "enemy combatant." Those accusations included money laundering for Al Qaeda, plotting to smuggle explosives into the U.S. and recommending that nuclear weapons be used against U.S. soldiers.
Paracha's son, Uzair Paracha, faces up to 75 years in prison after his November conviction in New York for providing material support to terrorists.
The testimony of Saifullah Paracha was included in thousands of pages of transcripts released Friday by the Pentagon because of a successful Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by The Associated Press.
Paracha, a New York Institute of Technology graduate, testified in English. He said he owns seven businesses, including a news agency, a construction agency and a manufacturing company in Pakistan, and travel agencies in New York, Chicago, Washington and San Francisco.
In 1999, Paracha said, he met Bin Laden in Afghanistan. The following year, he returned to Afghanistan to interview Bin Laden for his news agency, Universal Broadcast Ltd.
"He delivered [preached] the Koran, and said he was a prophet," Paracha said. "He said very nice things, very impressive."
But Paracha denied all the accusations raised in the January 2005 tribunal, conducted to determine whether he was properly classified as an "enemy combatant." Those accusations included money laundering for Al Qaeda, plotting to smuggle explosives into the U.S. and recommending that nuclear weapons be used against U.S. soldiers.
Paracha's son, Uzair Paracha, faces up to 75 years in prison after his November conviction in New York for providing material support to terrorists.
Monday, March 06, 2006
BBC reporter Arrested in Pakistan.
Sialkot: Pakistan
March 06, 2006.
Pakistan Press Club (PPC) today urged the Pakistani Government to act against military officials arresting and threatening journalists working in tribal areas.
The threats to journalists especially foreign correspondents are unacceptable,”Mohsin Abbas said, and we call on military authorities to take steps to deal with those who harass and arrest reporters who are working in tribal areas.
Today (Monday) morning BBC Correspondent Haroon Rasheed was arrested in Wazirastan area of Pakistan and kept in the military custody for few hours. Also two other western journalists were not allowed to enter the area. In this area for past three days military is fighting with Taliban warlords. There had been a lot of causalities in the region.
Haroon Rasheed is BBC correspondent from Peshawar Pakistan. He was arrested on Monday morning at a security check post near Meran Shah.
These are the fiercest clashes between security forces and pro-Taliban militants since the army went into the lawless area more than three years ago.
The number of dead has gone up to 73, including five soldiers and a civilian, after three days of clashes between the army and militants, the army says.
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Authorities told no reason for arresting Haroon Rasheed. After his release he was ordered to leave the area. For few months military is not allowing reporters to enter North and south Wazirastaan. Especially The reporters from foreign media outlets are not allowed in the region.
March 06, 2006.
Pakistan Press Club (PPC) today urged the Pakistani Government to act against military officials arresting and threatening journalists working in tribal areas.
The threats to journalists especially foreign correspondents are unacceptable,”Mohsin Abbas said, and we call on military authorities to take steps to deal with those who harass and arrest reporters who are working in tribal areas.
Today (Monday) morning BBC Correspondent Haroon Rasheed was arrested in Wazirastan area of Pakistan and kept in the military custody for few hours. Also two other western journalists were not allowed to enter the area. In this area for past three days military is fighting with Taliban warlords. There had been a lot of causalities in the region.
Haroon Rasheed is BBC correspondent from Peshawar Pakistan. He was arrested on Monday morning at a security check post near Meran Shah.
These are the fiercest clashes between security forces and pro-Taliban militants since the army went into the lawless area more than three years ago.
The number of dead has gone up to 73, including five soldiers and a civilian, after three days of clashes between the army and militants, the army says.
.
Authorities told no reason for arresting Haroon Rasheed. After his release he was ordered to leave the area. For few months military is not allowing reporters to enter North and south Wazirastaan. Especially The reporters from foreign media outlets are not allowed in the region.
Saturday, February 25, 2006
The amazing DIY village FM radio station
The amazing DIY village FM radio station
Raghav's childhood friend Sambhu is the radio jockey (Photos: Prashant Ravi)
It may well be the only village FM radio station on the Asian sub-continent. It is certainly illegal.
The transmission equipment, costing just over $1, may be the cheapest in the world.
But the local people definitely love it.
On a balmy morning in India's northern state of Bihar, young Raghav Mahato gets ready to fire up his home-grown FM radio station.
Hundreds of villagers, living in a 20km (12 miles) radius of Raghav's small repair shop and radio station in Mansoorpur village in Vaishali district, tune their $5 radio sets to catch their favourite station.
After the crackle of static, a young, confident voice floats up the radio waves.
"Good morning! Welcome to Raghav FM Mansoorpur 1! Now listen to your favourite songs," announces anchor and friend Sambhu into a sellotape-plastered microphone surrounded by racks of local music tapes.
For the next 12 hours, Raghav Mahato's outback FM radio station plays films songs and broadcasts public interest messages on HIV and polio, and even snappy local news, including alerts on missing children and the opening of local shops.
Raghav and his friend run the indigenous radio station out of Raghav's thatched-roof Priya Electronics Shop.
Ingenious
The place is a cramped $4-a-month rented shack stacked with music tapes and rusty electrical appliances which doubles up as Raghav's radio station and repair shop.
I just did it out of curiosity and increased its area of transmission every year
Raghav MahatoHe may not be literate, but Raghav's ingenuous FM station has made him more popular than local politicians.
Raghav's love affair with the radio began in 1997 when he started out as a mechanic in a local repair shop. When the shop owner left the area, Raghav, son of a cancer-ridden farm worker, took over the shack with his friend.
Sometime in 2003, Raghav, who by now had learned much about radio mechanics, thought up the idea of launching an FM station.
It was a perfect idea. In impoverished Bihar state, where many areas lack power supplies, the cheap battery-powered transistor remains the most popular source of entertainment.
"It took a long time to come up with the idea and make the kit which could transmit my programmes at a fixed radio frequency. The kit cost me 50 rupees (just over $1)," says Raghav.
The transmission kit is fitted on to an antenna attached to a bamboo pole on a neighbouring three-storey hospital.
A long wire connects the contraption to a creaky, old homemade stereo cassette player in Raghav's radio shack. Three other rusty, locally made battery-powered tape recorders are connected to it with colourful wires and a cordless microphone.
The radio station is a repair shop and studio rolled into oneThe shack has some 200 tapes of local Bhojpuri, Bollywood and devotional songs which Raghav plays for his listeners.
Raghav's station is truly a labour of love - he does not earn anything from it. His electronic repair shop work brings him some two thousand rupees ($45) a month.
The young man, who continues to live in a shack with his family, doesn't know that running a FM station requires a government licence.
"I don't know about this. I just began this out of curiosity and expanded its area of transmission every year," he says.
Local hero
So when some people told him sometime ago that his station was illegal, he actually shut it down. But local villagers thronged his shack and persuaded him to resume services again.
It hardly matters for the locals that Raghav FM Mansoorpur 1 does not have a government license - they just love it.
Raghav makes his living from repairing electronic goods"Women listen to my station more than men," he says. "Though Bollywood and local Bhojpuri songs are staple diet, I air devotional songs at dawn and dusk for women and old people."
Since there's no phone-in facility, people send their requests for songs through couriers carrying handwritten messages and phone calls to a neighbouring public telephone office.
Raghav's fame as the 'promoter' of a radio station has spread far and wide in Bihar.
People have written to him, wanting work at his station, and evinced interest in buying his 'technology'.
"But I will never share the secret of my technology with anyone. This is my creation. How can I share it with somebody who might misuse it?" he asks.
"With more powerful and advanced chips and equipment I can make a kit which could be transmitted up to 100km or even more."
A government radio engineer in Bihar's capital, Patna, says it is possible to use a homemade kit to run a FM radio station.
The station is a rage with listeners in the area"All it needs is an antenna and transmitting equipment. But such stations offer no security. Anyone can invade and encroach such locally made transmitters," says HK Sinha of India's state-run broadcaster All India Radio (AIR).
But people in Mansoorpur are in awe of Raghav's radio station and say it gives their village an identity.
"The boy has intense potential, but he is very poor. If the government lends him some support, he would go far," says Sanjay Kumar, an ardent fan of his station.
But for the moment Raghav FM Mansoorpur 1 rocks on the local airwaves, bring joy into the lives of the locals.
Raghav's childhood friend Sambhu is the radio jockey (Photos: Prashant Ravi)
It may well be the only village FM radio station on the Asian sub-continent. It is certainly illegal.
The transmission equipment, costing just over $1, may be the cheapest in the world.
But the local people definitely love it.
On a balmy morning in India's northern state of Bihar, young Raghav Mahato gets ready to fire up his home-grown FM radio station.
Hundreds of villagers, living in a 20km (12 miles) radius of Raghav's small repair shop and radio station in Mansoorpur village in Vaishali district, tune their $5 radio sets to catch their favourite station.
After the crackle of static, a young, confident voice floats up the radio waves.
"Good morning! Welcome to Raghav FM Mansoorpur 1! Now listen to your favourite songs," announces anchor and friend Sambhu into a sellotape-plastered microphone surrounded by racks of local music tapes.
For the next 12 hours, Raghav Mahato's outback FM radio station plays films songs and broadcasts public interest messages on HIV and polio, and even snappy local news, including alerts on missing children and the opening of local shops.
Raghav and his friend run the indigenous radio station out of Raghav's thatched-roof Priya Electronics Shop.
Ingenious
The place is a cramped $4-a-month rented shack stacked with music tapes and rusty electrical appliances which doubles up as Raghav's radio station and repair shop.
I just did it out of curiosity and increased its area of transmission every year
Raghav MahatoHe may not be literate, but Raghav's ingenuous FM station has made him more popular than local politicians.
Raghav's love affair with the radio began in 1997 when he started out as a mechanic in a local repair shop. When the shop owner left the area, Raghav, son of a cancer-ridden farm worker, took over the shack with his friend.
Sometime in 2003, Raghav, who by now had learned much about radio mechanics, thought up the idea of launching an FM station.
It was a perfect idea. In impoverished Bihar state, where many areas lack power supplies, the cheap battery-powered transistor remains the most popular source of entertainment.
"It took a long time to come up with the idea and make the kit which could transmit my programmes at a fixed radio frequency. The kit cost me 50 rupees (just over $1)," says Raghav.
The transmission kit is fitted on to an antenna attached to a bamboo pole on a neighbouring three-storey hospital.
A long wire connects the contraption to a creaky, old homemade stereo cassette player in Raghav's radio shack. Three other rusty, locally made battery-powered tape recorders are connected to it with colourful wires and a cordless microphone.
The radio station is a repair shop and studio rolled into oneThe shack has some 200 tapes of local Bhojpuri, Bollywood and devotional songs which Raghav plays for his listeners.
Raghav's station is truly a labour of love - he does not earn anything from it. His electronic repair shop work brings him some two thousand rupees ($45) a month.
The young man, who continues to live in a shack with his family, doesn't know that running a FM station requires a government licence.
"I don't know about this. I just began this out of curiosity and expanded its area of transmission every year," he says.
Local hero
So when some people told him sometime ago that his station was illegal, he actually shut it down. But local villagers thronged his shack and persuaded him to resume services again.
It hardly matters for the locals that Raghav FM Mansoorpur 1 does not have a government license - they just love it.
Raghav makes his living from repairing electronic goods"Women listen to my station more than men," he says. "Though Bollywood and local Bhojpuri songs are staple diet, I air devotional songs at dawn and dusk for women and old people."
Since there's no phone-in facility, people send their requests for songs through couriers carrying handwritten messages and phone calls to a neighbouring public telephone office.
Raghav's fame as the 'promoter' of a radio station has spread far and wide in Bihar.
People have written to him, wanting work at his station, and evinced interest in buying his 'technology'.
"But I will never share the secret of my technology with anyone. This is my creation. How can I share it with somebody who might misuse it?" he asks.
"With more powerful and advanced chips and equipment I can make a kit which could be transmitted up to 100km or even more."
A government radio engineer in Bihar's capital, Patna, says it is possible to use a homemade kit to run a FM radio station.
The station is a rage with listeners in the area"All it needs is an antenna and transmitting equipment. But such stations offer no security. Anyone can invade and encroach such locally made transmitters," says HK Sinha of India's state-run broadcaster All India Radio (AIR).
But people in Mansoorpur are in awe of Raghav's radio station and say it gives their village an identity.
"The boy has intense potential, but he is very poor. If the government lends him some support, he would go far," says Sanjay Kumar, an ardent fan of his station.
But for the moment Raghav FM Mansoorpur 1 rocks on the local airwaves, bring joy into the lives of the locals.
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Pakistani Women of the Year
Mohsin Abbas
Toronto, Oct 30, 2005
Mukhtar Mai, the Pakistani woman who won international fame for speaking out against her gang rape ordered by a village council in her country, is in the US to receive an award for courage from American fashion magazine 'Glamour', which has chosen her the 'Woman of the Year 2005'.Mai, who arrived in Chicago and would attend several functions there to raise funds for the earthquake victims in Pakistan, would be presented the award at a star-studded function here on November 2.The magazine has selected her 'Woman of the Year 2005', an honour bestowed in earlier years to, among others, former first lady and now Senator Hillary Clinton and former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.Thirty-six-year old Mai had angered Pakistani government for her outspokenness and decision to visit the US and at one stage authorities in her country had taken away her passport which was returned after international hue and cry and sharp criticism from human and women rights groups.The gang rape was ordered by the council of village in Pakistan in June 2002 in retaliation for alleged affair of her brother with a woman from a higher caste.Braving social stigma, she lodged a police complaint and spoke out against the council. Legal proceedings against her alleged rapists are still going on in Pakistan's Supreme Court.
Once, a docile inhabitant of a remote village in southern Punjab province of Pakistan clutched a worldwide repute, in a spur of moment, when her story of gang-rape hit the headlines of the media, not only in Pakistan but the world-over.
The print and electronic media raced with a swift pace to disseminate the news item in an atypical way. This scenario eventually, took-out Mai from a state of isolation and placed her onto the horizons of the Orb with her visit abroad, the first-ever in her life.
After the ill-fated episode, she had to face by the orders of an influential tribal assemblage [Jirga], not only that Mai now speaks to media with full command and confidence in a skilled and distinctive oratory style, she has also gained physical vigour and verve with a lustrous and glowing hale and hearty face as well as is well-acquainted with the usage of modern gadgets like the mobile phones, which is of-course her right like others cell-phone users, without any problem in any mode or manner.
Former US President Bill Clinton will introduce her to the star-studded event at Lincoln Centre in the New York City on November-2.
Mukhtar Mai says that she would donate $5,000 of the $20,000 prize for earthquake relief, while the rest would be spent to expand the two schools she runs for girls in Meerwala, a remote village in southern Punjab.
“I’ve gained a lot of strength from building the school. I would not be alive today if I had not gained this strength, and I have more faith in Pakistan because of this,” she said.
Hectic Schedule
Mukhtar Mai, who was chosen as ‘Person of the Week’ by ABC last Friday, is scheduled to attend several seminars and meetings in the US at which she is expected to appeal for help to Pakistan in its hour of need.
Several American and Canadian documentary filmmakers are expected to follow Mai during her stay here.
She is also likely to visit Washington to urge Congress to stand up for women’s rights in Pakistan and pledge an additional $50 million in humanitarian aid to her country, but specifically for earthquake-affected women and children.
In a letter to Mai, Glamour editor-in-chief Cindi Leive explained that the magazine honoured the women who had struggled for the cause of women. Mai was invited to visit the US till November-5.
"We look for strength. We look for persistence, a woman of the year is someone who believes that women can do whatever they set their mind to, and Mukhtar illustrates those qualities better than anybody," said Cindi Leive.
Beacon of Light
Her case attracted international attention, and using donations from her well-wishers she has since set up a school for girls in her rural community.
Before leaving for USA, Mukhtar Mai said, “I am a beacon of light for women being subjected to rape, kidnapping, burning, nose or ear chopping. My school is an institution for girls of remote areas where free books, uniform and other facilities are provided to help make them aware of their rights.”Mai said she only came to know about her award from the U.S. embassy this week. "I have decided to go to New York as it is a good opportunity to motivate U.S. government officials and the American people and Pakistanis to do more for the earthquake victims."
Mai said the government did not need to worry about what she might say while abroad. "I'm a Pakistani and I have no intention of tarnishing the country's image. But I will speak on the plight of women in rural areas," she said.
Before boarding the aircraft, which is to take her abroad first-time in life Mai said she has no plans to stay in America. She said she will also use the trip to collect donations for victims of this month's monster earthquake, which killed tens of thousands of people in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir.
Mai has an appeal pending before the Supreme Court of Pakistan against a lower court's order to free 13 men accused of involvement in her rape
Toronto, Oct 30, 2005
Mukhtar Mai, the Pakistani woman who won international fame for speaking out against her gang rape ordered by a village council in her country, is in the US to receive an award for courage from American fashion magazine 'Glamour', which has chosen her the 'Woman of the Year 2005'.Mai, who arrived in Chicago and would attend several functions there to raise funds for the earthquake victims in Pakistan, would be presented the award at a star-studded function here on November 2.The magazine has selected her 'Woman of the Year 2005', an honour bestowed in earlier years to, among others, former first lady and now Senator Hillary Clinton and former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.Thirty-six-year old Mai had angered Pakistani government for her outspokenness and decision to visit the US and at one stage authorities in her country had taken away her passport which was returned after international hue and cry and sharp criticism from human and women rights groups.The gang rape was ordered by the council of village in Pakistan in June 2002 in retaliation for alleged affair of her brother with a woman from a higher caste.Braving social stigma, she lodged a police complaint and spoke out against the council. Legal proceedings against her alleged rapists are still going on in Pakistan's Supreme Court.
Once, a docile inhabitant of a remote village in southern Punjab province of Pakistan clutched a worldwide repute, in a spur of moment, when her story of gang-rape hit the headlines of the media, not only in Pakistan but the world-over.
The print and electronic media raced with a swift pace to disseminate the news item in an atypical way. This scenario eventually, took-out Mai from a state of isolation and placed her onto the horizons of the Orb with her visit abroad, the first-ever in her life.
After the ill-fated episode, she had to face by the orders of an influential tribal assemblage [Jirga], not only that Mai now speaks to media with full command and confidence in a skilled and distinctive oratory style, she has also gained physical vigour and verve with a lustrous and glowing hale and hearty face as well as is well-acquainted with the usage of modern gadgets like the mobile phones, which is of-course her right like others cell-phone users, without any problem in any mode or manner.
Former US President Bill Clinton will introduce her to the star-studded event at Lincoln Centre in the New York City on November-2.
Mukhtar Mai says that she would donate $5,000 of the $20,000 prize for earthquake relief, while the rest would be spent to expand the two schools she runs for girls in Meerwala, a remote village in southern Punjab.
“I’ve gained a lot of strength from building the school. I would not be alive today if I had not gained this strength, and I have more faith in Pakistan because of this,” she said.
Hectic Schedule
Mukhtar Mai, who was chosen as ‘Person of the Week’ by ABC last Friday, is scheduled to attend several seminars and meetings in the US at which she is expected to appeal for help to Pakistan in its hour of need.
Several American and Canadian documentary filmmakers are expected to follow Mai during her stay here.
She is also likely to visit Washington to urge Congress to stand up for women’s rights in Pakistan and pledge an additional $50 million in humanitarian aid to her country, but specifically for earthquake-affected women and children.
In a letter to Mai, Glamour editor-in-chief Cindi Leive explained that the magazine honoured the women who had struggled for the cause of women. Mai was invited to visit the US till November-5.
"We look for strength. We look for persistence, a woman of the year is someone who believes that women can do whatever they set their mind to, and Mukhtar illustrates those qualities better than anybody," said Cindi Leive.
Beacon of Light
Her case attracted international attention, and using donations from her well-wishers she has since set up a school for girls in her rural community.
Before leaving for USA, Mukhtar Mai said, “I am a beacon of light for women being subjected to rape, kidnapping, burning, nose or ear chopping. My school is an institution for girls of remote areas where free books, uniform and other facilities are provided to help make them aware of their rights.”Mai said she only came to know about her award from the U.S. embassy this week. "I have decided to go to New York as it is a good opportunity to motivate U.S. government officials and the American people and Pakistanis to do more for the earthquake victims."
Mai said the government did not need to worry about what she might say while abroad. "I'm a Pakistani and I have no intention of tarnishing the country's image. But I will speak on the plight of women in rural areas," she said.
Before boarding the aircraft, which is to take her abroad first-time in life Mai said she has no plans to stay in America. She said she will also use the trip to collect donations for victims of this month's monster earthquake, which killed tens of thousands of people in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir.
Mai has an appeal pending before the Supreme Court of Pakistan against a lower court's order to free 13 men accused of involvement in her rape
Friday, May 27, 2005
Another teenage girl has been gang raped by police officials
Mr.Bush Can you tell Mr.Mush
That who is going to stop
Pakistan To becoming "Polistan"
Iam so sad living in exile when I heard that another teenage girl has been gang raped by police officials at a police station. But this time it is not just in any town. The terrible incident took place in Islamabad, the country's capital. The 15-year-old girl was subjected to the crime between Tuesday and Wednesday night. Saira was travelling in a car with her mother and three other adults, including a woman, when the police stopped the car and ordered them to prove their identity. All the five occupants were taken to Shahzad Town Police Station where the sub-inspector told them that if they didn't pay Rs200,000 in "honour money" (a useful addition, this, to the terminology of crimes against women in Pakistan), they would be formally detained through implication in a sex scandal and booked under the Zina Ordinance. The second woman was also repeatedly raped. Needless to say, the five were not charged with any crime, but part of the "honour money" was nevertheless extracted: the two men were allegedly robbed by the policemen of Rs25,000 and two ATM cards they were carrying. After an uproar following the publication of the story in this paper, the four police officers involved, including a DSP and SHO, were suspended and arrested.
The city Silakot is my birth place . I was reporting for my people in this city for many years.I had witnessesd many police violations during my working years there.I was tortured and forced to go in exile in year 2002 by the same city police.
Only recently, Nazish, a 17-year-old college student from Sialkot, was raped by police officials at a police station where she had ended up after having been gang-raped for 37 days following her kidnapping in January. Gen. Pervez Musharraf ordered a high-level inquiry into that incident, particularly since policemen were involved. But the fact that an enquiry had been ordered by the president himself, did not deter last week's maniacs.
Just a day before Nazish was kidnapped, Dr Shazia Khalid was raped in Sui. The man accused of the crime was also allegedly a member of a law enforcing agency. Sadly, unless such incidents are dealt with swiftly and effectively, Pakistan's attempts to project a "soft" image to the world at large will repeatedly be obscured by its "callous" image.
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Two journalists Killed in Pakistan
Two journalists killed in ambush in tribal zone of South Waziristan
Pakistan Press Club (PPC) expressed revulsion at the murder of two courageous reporters after APTN cameraman Amir Nawab Khan and reporter with Pakistan's Khyber TV, Allah Noor Wazir were killed in an ambush in Wana, South Waziristan, south-west of Peshawar. They were returning from covering a Taliban warlord's surrender to the authorities.
Repoters around the globe expressed revulsion at the murder of two journalists who died in a hail of machine-gun fire as their car was ambushed after they covered the surrender of a Taliban leader to the authorities.
The two who died, Amir Nawab Khan and Allah Noor Wazir, were killed outright. One other travelling in the same car was wounded.
"Journalists in the tribal areas have shown their courage and determination to carry out their work under pressure from both armed militants and the authorities", said the worldwide press freedom organisation, which has worked for more than a year with the Tribal Union of Journalists (TUJ). "This cowardly murder should not go unpunished."
Khan, a cameraman with broadcast news agency APTN and a reporter with Pakistani daily The Frontier Post, and Wazir, reporter with Pakistani Khyber TV, the daily The Nation and German news agency DPA, were killed on 7 February in an ambush near Wana, South Waziristan, south-west of Peshawar.
Agence France-Presse correspondent in Wana, Anwar Shakir was wounded. They were returning from Sararogha, South Waziristan where Taliban warlord Baitullah Mehsud had given himself up to the Pakistani authorities.
The journalists came under machine gunfire as they neared a Wana hospital. The security forces failed to identify those responsible for the attack, but a top local official said that it had been an attempt to sabotage the peace agreement between the authorities and Baitullah Mehsud.
Some 20 Wana journalists are employed by international media to cover news from the region.
Since the start of the Pakistani army offensive against armed Taliban and al-Qaeda groups in the Wana region in March 2004, the security forces have almost entirely prevented the press from working in the area.
In June 2004, the military arrested Khan and Wazir for attempting to penetrate the banned area near Wana. Some journalists have received death threats from the Taliban.
Pakistan Press Club (PPC) expressed revulsion at the murder of two courageous reporters after APTN cameraman Amir Nawab Khan and reporter with Pakistan's Khyber TV, Allah Noor Wazir were killed in an ambush in Wana, South Waziristan, south-west of Peshawar. They were returning from covering a Taliban warlord's surrender to the authorities.
Repoters around the globe expressed revulsion at the murder of two journalists who died in a hail of machine-gun fire as their car was ambushed after they covered the surrender of a Taliban leader to the authorities.
The two who died, Amir Nawab Khan and Allah Noor Wazir, were killed outright. One other travelling in the same car was wounded.
"Journalists in the tribal areas have shown their courage and determination to carry out their work under pressure from both armed militants and the authorities", said the worldwide press freedom organisation, which has worked for more than a year with the Tribal Union of Journalists (TUJ). "This cowardly murder should not go unpunished."
Khan, a cameraman with broadcast news agency APTN and a reporter with Pakistani daily The Frontier Post, and Wazir, reporter with Pakistani Khyber TV, the daily The Nation and German news agency DPA, were killed on 7 February in an ambush near Wana, South Waziristan, south-west of Peshawar.
Agence France-Presse correspondent in Wana, Anwar Shakir was wounded. They were returning from Sararogha, South Waziristan where Taliban warlord Baitullah Mehsud had given himself up to the Pakistani authorities.
The journalists came under machine gunfire as they neared a Wana hospital. The security forces failed to identify those responsible for the attack, but a top local official said that it had been an attempt to sabotage the peace agreement between the authorities and Baitullah Mehsud.
Some 20 Wana journalists are employed by international media to cover news from the region.
Since the start of the Pakistani army offensive against armed Taliban and al-Qaeda groups in the Wana region in March 2004, the security forces have almost entirely prevented the press from working in the area.
In June 2004, the military arrested Khan and Wazir for attempting to penetrate the banned area near Wana. Some journalists have received death threats from the Taliban.
Friday, November 26, 2004
Legend Pakistani Poet Ahmed Faraz house vacted by force and Police in Islamabad,Pakistan
ISLAMABAD:
Capital police got evacuated the house of legend Urdu poet and chairman National Book Foundation Ahmed Faraz despite a stay order issued by Supreme Court, here on Monday.
The famous poet Ahmed Faraz is recently on foreign visit and he has got stay order from Supreme Court against the orders of evacuation of his house by the housing ministry.
In his absence, Capital police harassed the household women and threw the belongings of legend poet out of the house. The house is situated in F-6/3 of the capital.
A National Book Foundation source claimed that the action has been take on the direction of Federal Minister for Housing Safwan Ullah and the house was reportedly vacated to be allotted to the sister of Federal Minister for Ports, Babar Ghauri.
Although Ahmed Faraz a known poet and in his seventies is also entitled to it.
But as Ahmed Faraz told reporters , who is in London at the moment and sick , that Federal Minster Syed Safwan Ullha wanted to allot the house to a known one and acted so rudely. It is shameless act on the behalf of Syed Safwan Ullha to behave like this and treat a known and an old cultural personality like this.
Although Prime minister Shukat Aziz phoned Faraz before this act and assured him that no body will do this shameless act , but one of his minister did it. Now we wait and see what action his taken against him.
Capital police got evacuated the house of legend Urdu poet and chairman National Book Foundation Ahmed Faraz despite a stay order issued by Supreme Court, here on Monday.
The famous poet Ahmed Faraz is recently on foreign visit and he has got stay order from Supreme Court against the orders of evacuation of his house by the housing ministry.
In his absence, Capital police harassed the household women and threw the belongings of legend poet out of the house. The house is situated in F-6/3 of the capital.
A National Book Foundation source claimed that the action has been take on the direction of Federal Minister for Housing Safwan Ullah and the house was reportedly vacated to be allotted to the sister of Federal Minister for Ports, Babar Ghauri.
Although Ahmed Faraz a known poet and in his seventies is also entitled to it.
But as Ahmed Faraz told reporters , who is in London at the moment and sick , that Federal Minster Syed Safwan Ullha wanted to allot the house to a known one and acted so rudely. It is shameless act on the behalf of Syed Safwan Ullha to behave like this and treat a known and an old cultural personality like this.
Although Prime minister Shukat Aziz phoned Faraz before this act and assured him that no body will do this shameless act , but one of his minister did it. Now we wait and see what action his taken against him.
Saturday, November 13, 2004
Press photographer gunned down by lone sniper on Jolo island
Pakistan Press Club (PPC) today condemned the fatal shooting of news photographer Gene Boyd Lumawag by a lone sniper yesterday while on assignment for the local news agency Mindanews on Jolo island, an Islamist bastion in the southern Philippines. The gunman escaped and no arrests were made.
Lumawag's death brought to nine the number of journalists killed in the course of their work so far this year in the Philippines, making it the world's most dangerous country for the press after Iraq.
"Once again we are dismayed by the death of a journalist in the Philippines," Reporters Without Borders said. "The investigations into each of these terrible murders must be pursued to the end if they are to stop. As in the other case, the authorities must explore all leads and the police must be given all the resources they need to find out who killed Lumawag."
Aged 26, Lumawag was preparing a report on Aid al-Fitr, the Muslim festivity that marks the end of Ramadan. He was hit by a 45mm bullet in the forehead as he was heading towards the pier in the town of Jolo to photograph the sunset. He was working with another journalist from Mindanao island who was managed find refuge in a church and was not hurt.
Army investigators told Mindanews they thought the shooting was the work of members of an "urban terrorist group" linked to Abu Sayyaf, an Islamist group fighting for an independent Islamic state in the southern Philippines. Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for many attacks and kidnappings and is alleged by both the Philippine and US authorities to be linked to Al-Qaeda.
Lumawag's death brought to nine the number of journalists killed in the course of their work so far this year in the Philippines, making it the world's most dangerous country for the press after Iraq.
"Once again we are dismayed by the death of a journalist in the Philippines," Reporters Without Borders said. "The investigations into each of these terrible murders must be pursued to the end if they are to stop. As in the other case, the authorities must explore all leads and the police must be given all the resources they need to find out who killed Lumawag."
Aged 26, Lumawag was preparing a report on Aid al-Fitr, the Muslim festivity that marks the end of Ramadan. He was hit by a 45mm bullet in the forehead as he was heading towards the pier in the town of Jolo to photograph the sunset. He was working with another journalist from Mindanao island who was managed find refuge in a church and was not hurt.
Army investigators told Mindanews they thought the shooting was the work of members of an "urban terrorist group" linked to Abu Sayyaf, an Islamist group fighting for an independent Islamic state in the southern Philippines. Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for many attacks and kidnappings and is alleged by both the Philippine and US authorities to be linked to Al-Qaeda.
Friday, November 12, 2004
Pakistan:Punjab Police raids FM-103 office, stops broadcast
LAHORE: Pakistan Press Club (PPC) the national organisation of journalists representing journalists nationwide, has today backed its affiliate in Pakistan.
Pakistan Press Club (PPC) condemned the sealing of FM-103 radio station by police in Lahore, Pakistan today.
Lahore Police on Saturday evening raided the FM-103 radio office, arrested the telephone and computer operators and stopped the Lahore office’s broadcast.Police also took away the radio office’s computers, mixer and other equipment and sealed the office. The arrested are Noman Ahmed and Abdul Ghafoor.“We have suspended the FM-103 radio broadcast in connection with the case registered under MPO-16 (Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance) against the radio station on November 9. FM-103 authorities have continued violating MPO-16, so we have had to suspend its broadcast,” Civil Lines Station House Officer (SHO) Arshad Kanju said.Police arrested FM-103 Programmes Manager Afaq Shah and Administration Manager Farhat Abbas Shah on November 9 and registered a case against them under MPO-16. The case stated that five men protested against the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), the government, government hospitals and doctors in front of the PIC building. Police later identified two of the five protestors as Mr Bokhari and Mr Shah.Police produced both men before the Cantonment Area Court on November 10 and sought their physical remand. Magistrate Ishrat Ali Khan instead allowed a one-day judicial remand. The next day, Cantonment Area Special Judicial Magistrate Shahid Fareed granted bail to both FM-103 staff members.FM-103 officials have called the accusations false and baseless. “Nobody demonstrated. We did broadcast a report against the PIC and are conducting an inquiry against the report,” FM-103 Station Director Shafqatullah said.FM-103 officials said, “Certain bureaucrats are pressuring FM-103 to stop broadcasting BBC Urdu Service news bulletins. Sealing the office and arresting staff members is a cheap way of coercing the radio station. This is like suppressing the freedom of expression. We will address a news conference tomorrow (Saturday) to tell the truth.” However, sources told PPC that FM-103 had been at loggerheads with the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) over broadcasting BBC Urdu Service news bulletins from its stations.PEMRA authorities had been sending notices to FM-103 to stop its news bulletins, as it was against the agreement they had signed. FM-103 officials said they had a constitutional right to broadcast the bulletins. The radio station took the matter to court and got a stay order against the halting of the news bulletins, sources said, adding that the court later vacated the stay order.“The court’s order can be considered an indirect warning by the government to FM-103 to stop broadcasting BBC Urdu Service news bulletins or it will face the circumstances, such as the arrest of their staff,” sources added.Meanwhile, Pakistan Press Club (PPC) President Mohsin Abbas condemned the sealing of the FM-103 office, calling it an attack on the freedom of expression.
Pakistan Press Club (PPC) condemned the sealing of FM-103 radio station by police in Lahore, Pakistan today.
Lahore Police on Saturday evening raided the FM-103 radio office, arrested the telephone and computer operators and stopped the Lahore office’s broadcast.Police also took away the radio office’s computers, mixer and other equipment and sealed the office. The arrested are Noman Ahmed and Abdul Ghafoor.“We have suspended the FM-103 radio broadcast in connection with the case registered under MPO-16 (Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance) against the radio station on November 9. FM-103 authorities have continued violating MPO-16, so we have had to suspend its broadcast,” Civil Lines Station House Officer (SHO) Arshad Kanju said.Police arrested FM-103 Programmes Manager Afaq Shah and Administration Manager Farhat Abbas Shah on November 9 and registered a case against them under MPO-16. The case stated that five men protested against the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), the government, government hospitals and doctors in front of the PIC building. Police later identified two of the five protestors as Mr Bokhari and Mr Shah.Police produced both men before the Cantonment Area Court on November 10 and sought their physical remand. Magistrate Ishrat Ali Khan instead allowed a one-day judicial remand. The next day, Cantonment Area Special Judicial Magistrate Shahid Fareed granted bail to both FM-103 staff members.FM-103 officials have called the accusations false and baseless. “Nobody demonstrated. We did broadcast a report against the PIC and are conducting an inquiry against the report,” FM-103 Station Director Shafqatullah said.FM-103 officials said, “Certain bureaucrats are pressuring FM-103 to stop broadcasting BBC Urdu Service news bulletins. Sealing the office and arresting staff members is a cheap way of coercing the radio station. This is like suppressing the freedom of expression. We will address a news conference tomorrow (Saturday) to tell the truth.” However, sources told PPC that FM-103 had been at loggerheads with the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) over broadcasting BBC Urdu Service news bulletins from its stations.PEMRA authorities had been sending notices to FM-103 to stop its news bulletins, as it was against the agreement they had signed. FM-103 officials said they had a constitutional right to broadcast the bulletins. The radio station took the matter to court and got a stay order against the halting of the news bulletins, sources said, adding that the court later vacated the stay order.“The court’s order can be considered an indirect warning by the government to FM-103 to stop broadcasting BBC Urdu Service news bulletins or it will face the circumstances, such as the arrest of their staff,” sources added.Meanwhile, Pakistan Press Club (PPC) President Mohsin Abbas condemned the sealing of the FM-103 office, calling it an attack on the freedom of expression.
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
FM-103 Radio Employee kidnapped and Murdered in Pakistan
KARACHI(Pakistan):
Pakistan Press Club(PPC),a media rights organization, demanded the arrest of killer of FM-103 Radio Karachi Journalist Faraz Ahmed, who was kidnapped and murdered.
Noted human rights activist Baseer Naveed’s son, who was missing since Monday, was found murdered in the Shahrah-e-Faisal area, family members said.
Faraz Ahmed, 21, was student of M A (previous) of philosophy department in Karachi University. He was doing part-time job at a local FM channel with his father.
“We did not see him after he did his programme on the radio Monday evening,” Mr Naveed, a senior journalist and an active trade union activist, said.
He said the young man sometimes would go out for a night or two with his friends without informing the family, which was why the family was not bothered and did not file any missing report with the police. According to Mr Naveed, he came out of his office of the FM-103 located near Shahrah-e-Faisal and was walking towards an open plot nearby when he saw someone lying at a secluded place. The father saw it was the mutilated body of his son.
It is assumed that Faraz was kidnapped immediately after he left the radio’s office located along main Shahrah-e-Faisal after doing a programme on the second death anniversary of poet Jon Elia.
Faraz was also an amateur actor and had performed in street theatres and dramas, a family friend said. The decomposed body was taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for autopsy. “Here we waited for more than three hours for the medico-legal officer to perform the autopsy, but none of them turned up to do the job,” a family friend said.
He said the JPMC’s medico-legal section treated the bereaved family callously and they were forced to remain with the body for hours before something was done.In recent two weeks it wasfifth attack on media in pakistan.
Pakistan Press Club(PPC),a media rights organization, demanded the arrest of killer of FM-103 Radio Karachi Journalist Faraz Ahmed, who was kidnapped and murdered.
Noted human rights activist Baseer Naveed’s son, who was missing since Monday, was found murdered in the Shahrah-e-Faisal area, family members said.
Faraz Ahmed, 21, was student of M A (previous) of philosophy department in Karachi University. He was doing part-time job at a local FM channel with his father.
“We did not see him after he did his programme on the radio Monday evening,” Mr Naveed, a senior journalist and an active trade union activist, said.
He said the young man sometimes would go out for a night or two with his friends without informing the family, which was why the family was not bothered and did not file any missing report with the police. According to Mr Naveed, he came out of his office of the FM-103 located near Shahrah-e-Faisal and was walking towards an open plot nearby when he saw someone lying at a secluded place. The father saw it was the mutilated body of his son.
It is assumed that Faraz was kidnapped immediately after he left the radio’s office located along main Shahrah-e-Faisal after doing a programme on the second death anniversary of poet Jon Elia.
Faraz was also an amateur actor and had performed in street theatres and dramas, a family friend said. The decomposed body was taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for autopsy. “Here we waited for more than three hours for the medico-legal officer to perform the autopsy, but none of them turned up to do the job,” a family friend said.
He said the JPMC’s medico-legal section treated the bereaved family callously and they were forced to remain with the body for hours before something was done.In recent two weeks it wasfifth attack on media in pakistan.
Two Pakistani Journalists are arrested
Lahore (Pakistan):
11/9/2004
Pakistan Press Club (PPC) president Mohsin Abbas has called for the release of Farhat Abbas Shah and Afaq Shah of the FM Radio 103 Lahore, Punjab Pakistan. They were arrested by Punjab police yesterday in Lahore district of Punjab province.
Police in Pakistani province Punjab have arrested Journalist and well known Urdu poet of the country Farhat Abbas Shah and his one co worker radio presenter Afaq shah .Both of them are working for an independent radio station in Lahore.
According to a senior police officer in Lahore they were arrested for broadcasting a disputed news story about Punjab institute of cardiology .They were accused to be causing that police were unable to maintain order in the city.
Station House Officer(SHO) for the police station Civil Line Inspector Arshad Hayat reported in first information report(FIR) that they were arrested under the section of 144.According to this article more than five people were not allowed to be gathered.
Secondly they were accused of violating the Section 16 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO).
According to First information report (FIR) five people were coming from Kashmir road towards Mall road, while they arrived at the gate of Alhamra Hall gate number one .they started shouting loudly slogans against government, doctors and government hospitals. They were saying that current government and government hospitals and doctors have failed to relief the people.
Police inspector accused in report that they were found violating the section 16 of the (MPO) and it was not good for the peace in the public.
According to police report they were broadcasting the failure of government, doctors and government hospitals on their FM radio 103 and causing trouble in public.
According to First information report of police they claimed that police tried to arrest five of them but three of them were able to run away but only farhat abbas shah and syed afaq shah were arrested.
According to Fm radio manager Awais Bajwa police lied in their (FIR) report .Programme manager was arrested at the building of radio station situated at Agerten road Lahore and he was roughed by police too. when the in charge current affairs and news Farhat Abbas Shah learned about his arrest and went police station Civil Line he was arrested too.Farhat Abbas Shah have been published more that 52 books and one of his book” After the Evening” was published more than 12 editions.
Both journalists were kept in police station .By mid night they were brought to police station. According to friends of Farhat Abbas Shah his clothes were dusty and it looked like he was tortured by the police badly.
Contact:
Mohsin Abbas
President
Pakistan Press Club (PPC)
www.pakistanpressclub.com
www.pakistanpressclub.blogspot.com
E mail: dailypakistan@yahoo.com
Phone: +1-416-669-4770
11/9/2004
Pakistan Press Club (PPC) president Mohsin Abbas has called for the release of Farhat Abbas Shah and Afaq Shah of the FM Radio 103 Lahore, Punjab Pakistan. They were arrested by Punjab police yesterday in Lahore district of Punjab province.
Police in Pakistani province Punjab have arrested Journalist and well known Urdu poet of the country Farhat Abbas Shah and his one co worker radio presenter Afaq shah .Both of them are working for an independent radio station in Lahore.
According to a senior police officer in Lahore they were arrested for broadcasting a disputed news story about Punjab institute of cardiology .They were accused to be causing that police were unable to maintain order in the city.
Station House Officer(SHO) for the police station Civil Line Inspector Arshad Hayat reported in first information report(FIR) that they were arrested under the section of 144.According to this article more than five people were not allowed to be gathered.
Secondly they were accused of violating the Section 16 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO).
According to First information report (FIR) five people were coming from Kashmir road towards Mall road, while they arrived at the gate of Alhamra Hall gate number one .they started shouting loudly slogans against government, doctors and government hospitals. They were saying that current government and government hospitals and doctors have failed to relief the people.
Police inspector accused in report that they were found violating the section 16 of the (MPO) and it was not good for the peace in the public.
According to police report they were broadcasting the failure of government, doctors and government hospitals on their FM radio 103 and causing trouble in public.
According to First information report of police they claimed that police tried to arrest five of them but three of them were able to run away but only farhat abbas shah and syed afaq shah were arrested.
According to Fm radio manager Awais Bajwa police lied in their (FIR) report .Programme manager was arrested at the building of radio station situated at Agerten road Lahore and he was roughed by police too. when the in charge current affairs and news Farhat Abbas Shah learned about his arrest and went police station Civil Line he was arrested too.Farhat Abbas Shah have been published more that 52 books and one of his book” After the Evening” was published more than 12 editions.
Both journalists were kept in police station .By mid night they were brought to police station. According to friends of Farhat Abbas Shah his clothes were dusty and it looked like he was tortured by the police badly.
Contact:
Mohsin Abbas
President
Pakistan Press Club (PPC)
www.pakistanpressclub.com
www.pakistanpressclub.blogspot.com
E mail: dailypakistan@yahoo.com
Phone: +1-416-669-4770
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Press panel slams Israel for curbs on media
GENEVA: The International Association of Press Clubs (IAPC) has protested in an open letter to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, the constraints placed on the press in Palestine.According to a report in The Khaleej Times on Friday, the association issued the statement after several incidents were reported by journalists working in the occupied territories. It was signed by director of the Press Club de France and IAPC President Michel Fernet and director of the Dubai Press Club and IAPC Secretary General Mona Al Marri.Among the serious violations cited by journalists was the incident of Israeli troops shooting at BBC reporter Orla Guuerin and at the armoured car of NBC correspondent Dana Lewis. Ms Lewis was also arrested and briefly held by the Israelis. The Israeli government’s press office revoked the press credentials of two Abu Dhabi TV journalists and threatened legal action against CNN and NBC for broadcasting from Ramallah. Israeli soldiers also fired rubber bullets and threw grenades at a convoy of journalists waiting near Palestinian President Yasser Arafat’s compound for a meeting between the Palestinian leader and US special envoy Anthony Zinni.The members of the association called for Israel to guarantee the safety and well being of journalists working in Palestine, as well as for freedom for journalists to perform their work without intimidation and for editorial freedom within accepted international journalism guidelines for correspondents in Palestine.
Saturday, November 06, 2004
Pakistan is 150th in 3rd Annual Worldwide Press Freedom Index
Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières) announces its third annual worldwide index of press freedom. Such freedom is threatened most in East Asia (with North Korea at the bottom of the entire list at 167th place, followed by Burma 165th, China 162nd, Vietnam 161st and Laos 153rd) and the Middle East (Saudi Arabia 159th, Iran 158th, Syria 155th, Iraq 148th).In these countries, an independent media either does not exist or journalists are persecuted and censored on a daily basis. Freedom of information and the safety of journalists are not guaranteed there. Continuing war has made Iraq the most deadly place on earth for journalists in recent years, with 44 killed there since fighting began in March last year.But there are plenty of other black spots around the world for press freedom. Cuba (in 166th place) is second only to China as the biggest prison for journalists, with 26 in jail (China has 27). Since spring last year, these 26 independent journalists have languished in prison after being given sentences of between 14 and 27 years.No privately-owned media exist in Turkmenistan (164th) and Eritrea (163rd), whose people can only read, see or listen to government-controlled media dominated by official propaganda.The greatest press freedom is found in northern Europe (Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, the Netherlands and Norway), which is a haven of peace for journalists. Of the top 20 countries, only three (New Zealand 9th, Trinidad and Tobago 11th and Canada 18th) are outside Europe.Other small and often impoverished democracies appear high on the list, such as El Salvador (28th) and Costa Rica (35th) in Central America, along with Cape Verde (38th) and Namibia (42nd) in Africa and Timor-Leste (57th) in Asia.Reporters Without Borders compiled the index by asking its partner organizations (14 freedom of expression organizations in five continents), its 130 correspondents around the world, as well as journalists, researchers, jurists and human rights activists, to answer 52 questions to indicate the state of press freedom in 167 countries (others were not included for lack of information).Too many Asian countries at the bottom of the listFor the third year running, North Korea is bottom of the list. Reporters Without Borders has just published a report of a fact-finding mission that describes how journalism is forced to serve the cult of personality of dictator Kim Jong-il. Dozens of journalists have been "re-educated" for often minor supposed professional "errors."At the other extreme is New Zealand, in 9th place, which is the top-listed non-European country. News diversity is respected in this Pacific democracy and the government does not interfere.At the bottom end is Burma (165th), whose military rulers have banned the privately-owned media from speaking freely and thrown in prison journalists supporting opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The press is also cowed in Vietnam (161st) and Laos (153rd).China still scores very low (162nd) despite the growth of print and broadcast media, since the ruling Communist Party has used violence to indicate the lines that must not be crossed. The country is the world's biggest prison for journalists, with the most recent victim a Chinese correspondent for the US daily the New York Times. Despite promises made when Beijing was awarded the 2008 Olympic Games, the locally-based foreign media is still closely monitored.No let-up in violence:Violence against the media continues to undermine freedom in many Asian countries. Nepal (160th) and Bangladesh (151st) rate very low due to incessant violence there. The governments are partly to blame but political groups, especially the Maoist rebels in Nepal, as well as organized crime also persecute journalists.Countries such as the Philippines (111th), India (120th) and Indonesia (117th) figure in the bottom half of the index despite having free and lively independent media, since killings and physical attacks on journalists, along with outdated laws, still prevent a full flowering of the press.Violence against the media in India rarely comes from the authorities but from political activists and in Kashmir from armed groups. The authorities in the Indonesian province of Aceh and the army in Pakistan's tribal areas have sealed off these areas to the media. Pakistan (150th) dropped about 20 places because of this and increased army pressure on the local press.The Maldives (157th) lost ground in this year's index because of a crackdown on journalists and pro-democracy activists by longtime President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.Delicate situations:The situation in Afghanistan (97th) improved markedly however, with growing news diversity and the media daring to tackle sensitive topics. But threats to journalists, especially from provincial warlords, remain very real.In Japan (42nd), the media is diverse and powerful, but the system of kisha clubs still deprives foreign and freelance journalists of access to a lot of information. In South Korea (48th) and Taiwan (60th), the government is not always tolerant of opposition media.
KhUJ demands end harassing journalists
Sialkot(Pakistan):
PPC- Khyber Union of Journalist (KhUJ) has demanded from Federal government to stop immediately harassing and distressing of local journalist through a secret agency of the government. The Majlis-e-Aamal of KhUJ in a unanimous resolution adopted in Peshawar on October 25, strongly condemned the step taken by the secret government agency of teasing journalist. The meeting called it as restriction on free press and called it totally injustice. Sajjad Haider President of the KhUJ chaired the meeting. The KhUJ regretted that the secret agency officials called local journalists in their office and stressed them not to publish Al-Qaeda related news report, which the reporters got from their own sources. The meeting explained that restriction on journalists not to print such reports means creating hurdles in carrying out journalistic duty freely. Through another resolution, the meeting demanded of police department not to use the word journalist with two arrested accused, namely Tariq Khattal and Shakeel Qarar, who were put behind bar in corruption charges few days ago. The meeting also explained that the KhUJ already disown the two accused and using the word of Journalists for both of them will affect other genuine journalists. The meeting stressed that journalist word should not be use onward for them. On the un-time death of young Sub-Editor of Urdu daily Al-Akhbar, the Malis-e-Aamla meeting showed grief and sorrow. KhUJ demanded of provincial government to provide financial assistance to the family of deceased Sub-Editor on the basis of brotherhood. During the meeting the members prayed for the departure souls of deceased of APP reporter Ayaz Khan brother, mother of Nadir Khuwaja, reporter in Urdu daily Pakistan Peshawar, and father of Naeem Akhtar, photographer in daily Khabray.
PPC- Khyber Union of Journalist (KhUJ) has demanded from Federal government to stop immediately harassing and distressing of local journalist through a secret agency of the government. The Majlis-e-Aamal of KhUJ in a unanimous resolution adopted in Peshawar on October 25, strongly condemned the step taken by the secret government agency of teasing journalist. The meeting called it as restriction on free press and called it totally injustice. Sajjad Haider President of the KhUJ chaired the meeting. The KhUJ regretted that the secret agency officials called local journalists in their office and stressed them not to publish Al-Qaeda related news report, which the reporters got from their own sources. The meeting explained that restriction on journalists not to print such reports means creating hurdles in carrying out journalistic duty freely. Through another resolution, the meeting demanded of police department not to use the word journalist with two arrested accused, namely Tariq Khattal and Shakeel Qarar, who were put behind bar in corruption charges few days ago. The meeting also explained that the KhUJ already disown the two accused and using the word of Journalists for both of them will affect other genuine journalists. The meeting stressed that journalist word should not be use onward for them. On the un-time death of young Sub-Editor of Urdu daily Al-Akhbar, the Malis-e-Aamla meeting showed grief and sorrow. KhUJ demanded of provincial government to provide financial assistance to the family of deceased Sub-Editor on the basis of brotherhood. During the meeting the members prayed for the departure souls of deceased of APP reporter Ayaz Khan brother, mother of Nadir Khuwaja, reporter in Urdu daily Pakistan Peshawar, and father of Naeem Akhtar, photographer in daily Khabray.
Monday, October 25, 2004
Journalists still barred from South Waziristan
Sialkot(Pakistan)
Pakistan Press Club (PPC) today condemned a continuing ban on journalists entering the South Waziristan Tribal Area adjoining the border with Afghanistan, although the Pakistani interior minister undertook a week ago to let journalists into the area.'Despite the government's promises, the Pakistani armed forces maintain an unacceptable de facto news blackout in South Waziristan,' the organisation said.A group of journalists consisting of Sailab Mehsud, the president of the Tribal Union Journalists, Alamgir, Anwar Masood and Irfan Siddiqui of ARY TV, and Sheikh Rehmatullah, Irfan Khan and Shaukat Khattak of Geo TV was denied entry to the Tribal Areas at the Jandola checkpoint on September 21. After being turned back, they staged a protest sit-in at the checkpoint for several hours.At a news conference onSeptember 16, interior minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao had promised that the government would allow Pakistani and foreign journalists to enter South Waziristan's Wana area.Since March, it has been virtually impossible for the news media to cover Pakistan's military operations against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in South Waziristan.
Pakistan Press Club (PPC) today condemned a continuing ban on journalists entering the South Waziristan Tribal Area adjoining the border with Afghanistan, although the Pakistani interior minister undertook a week ago to let journalists into the area.'Despite the government's promises, the Pakistani armed forces maintain an unacceptable de facto news blackout in South Waziristan,' the organisation said.A group of journalists consisting of Sailab Mehsud, the president of the Tribal Union Journalists, Alamgir, Anwar Masood and Irfan Siddiqui of ARY TV, and Sheikh Rehmatullah, Irfan Khan and Shaukat Khattak of Geo TV was denied entry to the Tribal Areas at the Jandola checkpoint on September 21. After being turned back, they staged a protest sit-in at the checkpoint for several hours.At a news conference onSeptember 16, interior minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao had promised that the government would allow Pakistani and foreign journalists to enter South Waziristan's Wana area.Since March, it has been virtually impossible for the news media to cover Pakistan's military operations against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in South Waziristan.
Thursday, October 21, 2004
Killing of Journalist Sparks IFJ Concern Over “Wave of Hatred” in Belarus
Sialkot:Pakistan
The International Federation of Journalists today called for an independent investigation into the killing of an opposition journalist in Belarus and warned that the regime of Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko was in danger of “unleashing a wave of hatred” against opposition voices as protests continued over controversial elections at the weekend. The family of Veronika Cherkasova said today that the body of the 44-year-old journalist, who has worked for independent media outlets for the past 15 years, was discovered by her stepfather Vladimir Melezhko last night. He said she had many stab wounds. Cherkasova was working most recently for the newspaper Solidarnost, a trade union newspaper, which she joined in May 2003. Trade unionists in the country have raised the alarm over the killing because the paper’s editor-in-chief Alexander Starikevich was allegedly sacked from the newspaper of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus, after the Government managed to establish their control over the Federation. Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary, said that he had asked the Belarus Association of Journalists, the IFJ affiliate in the country, for a full report amidst concerns that the killing may be linked to recent clashes between opposition protesters and police. “We are worried at the prospect of a wave of hatred being unleashed against democratic opposition. Violence against journalists is very often the result when an atmosphere of intimidation overtakes society,” said White. “We need a full and independent investigation of this killing and those responsible brought to justice.” The IFJ says that the street violence since Sunday’s controversial referendum, in which 77 percent of those who voted apparently agreed to scrap the two-term limit on presidents, allowing Lukashenko to maintain his ten-year grip on power, has resulted from angry confrontations between police and opposition protestors. Despite official claims about the election result, international observers and an independent exit poll suggest the voting was neither free nor fair. Thousands of young Belarusians have held noisy protests and on Tuesday evening police detained at least 30 people as a crowd of about 300 students marched protesting over the election. Associated Press photographer Sergei Grits, who was covering the event, also was briefly detained and released. The IFJ international executive board is meeting in Brussels this weekend and will discuss what steps to take to support journalists in the country.
The International Federation of Journalists today called for an independent investigation into the killing of an opposition journalist in Belarus and warned that the regime of Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko was in danger of “unleashing a wave of hatred” against opposition voices as protests continued over controversial elections at the weekend. The family of Veronika Cherkasova said today that the body of the 44-year-old journalist, who has worked for independent media outlets for the past 15 years, was discovered by her stepfather Vladimir Melezhko last night. He said she had many stab wounds. Cherkasova was working most recently for the newspaper Solidarnost, a trade union newspaper, which she joined in May 2003. Trade unionists in the country have raised the alarm over the killing because the paper’s editor-in-chief Alexander Starikevich was allegedly sacked from the newspaper of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus, after the Government managed to establish their control over the Federation. Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary, said that he had asked the Belarus Association of Journalists, the IFJ affiliate in the country, for a full report amidst concerns that the killing may be linked to recent clashes between opposition protesters and police. “We are worried at the prospect of a wave of hatred being unleashed against democratic opposition. Violence against journalists is very often the result when an atmosphere of intimidation overtakes society,” said White. “We need a full and independent investigation of this killing and those responsible brought to justice.” The IFJ says that the street violence since Sunday’s controversial referendum, in which 77 percent of those who voted apparently agreed to scrap the two-term limit on presidents, allowing Lukashenko to maintain his ten-year grip on power, has resulted from angry confrontations between police and opposition protestors. Despite official claims about the election result, international observers and an independent exit poll suggest the voting was neither free nor fair. Thousands of young Belarusians have held noisy protests and on Tuesday evening police detained at least 30 people as a crowd of about 300 students marched protesting over the election. Associated Press photographer Sergei Grits, who was covering the event, also was briefly detained and released. The IFJ international executive board is meeting in Brussels this weekend and will discuss what steps to take to support journalists in the country.
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Promises and the Press
ith 37 years in power, Togolese President Gnassingbé Eyadéma is Africa's longest-serving head of state. Even after the country introduced multiparty elections more than a decade ago, Eyadéma and his ruling party, Rassemblement du Peuple Togolais (RPT), managed to dominate politics and muzzle opposition voices in this West African nation. The RPT's ironfisted tactics and numerous human rights abuses led the European Union (EU) to suspend cooperation with Togo in 1993. But in Brussels in April 2004, the Eyadéma regime surprised the international community by pledging 22 democratization reforms in a bid to get EU economic sanctions lifted. The government promised this broad array of political, press, and electoral reforms in exchange for lucrative EU aid that, even in its initial phase, would be worth tens of millions of euros.The European Commission (EC) launched a two-year evaluation period this summer while the government took steps to improve press freedom. In August, the Togolese Parliament unanimously passed amendments to its harsh Press Code, removing criminal penalties for some press offenses. Togolese journalists say the Brussels commitments mark a tremendous opportunity, but many remain deeply skeptical given Eyadéma's record. He broke his pledge not to run again for office last year, winning the June 2003 election amid fraud allegations. Also in 2003, CPJ named Togo one of the world's 10 worst places to be a journalist.Press advocates have urged the EC to stay in close contact with local journalists during the evaluation period, and to hold Togo's leaders accountable. "It's a question of lobbying, because the government is extremely sensitive," says Daniel Lawson-Drackey, former secretary-general of the Independent Journalists Union of Togo. "For the government, the most important thing is to restart international cooperation. Now, the changes to the Press Code must be applied to the letter." uman rights organizations have cited Togo's 2000 Press Code as one of the worst in Africa. It imposed prison sentences of up to five years for "insulting the head of state" and as much as three years for "defaming" the courts or the armed forces. In the past, officials used the code to harass and jail journalists, and to seize thousands of copies of private publications. In the run-up to the 2003 elections, the Eyadéma regime shuttered media outlets, blocked news Web sites, and jammed the frequency of Radio France Internationale. The reforms passed in August would impose stiff fines rather than imprisonment for publishing what is deemed false or defamatory—including defamation of public figures and institutions. The changes would also ban the Interior Ministry from seizing and closing newspapers without judicial oversight, although a judge could still order copies of a publication destroyed. Unlike the adoption of the 2000 Press Code, cooperation between the government and the media has marked the new reforms. The amendments followed the recommendations of a commission of local journalists and media representatives established by the communications minister. Some local journalists say that coverage of political events improved after amendments were passed; Web sites that were regularly blocked inside Togo are now accessible. Still, several press offenses would carry criminal penalties of up to one year in prison, including publishing news deemed to incite crime, theft, destruction of public or private property, or ethnic or racial hatred, and "crimes against the internal or external security of the state." And beyond the letter of the law, press advocates say, the long-term prognosis depends heavily on the government's behavior. Eyadéma's record offers reason for doubt. he early 1990s were promising times for Togolese journalists. After more than 20 years, the Eyadéma regime finally began licensing private media and allowing multiparty democracy. Within a few years, new political parties emerged, and dozens of new publications launched. Some were pro-RPT, but many more criticized the country's leadership.That did not sit well with a regime unaccustomed to opposition. "The government came to power without a [private] press," says Pedro Amuzun, publisher of the private weekly Crocodile. "So when the press emerged, they felt threatened, and they systematically barred the way. These were people who really did not like criticism."Lawson-Drackey, who is also a journalist with the private radio station Nana FM, says the government did not understand the role of a free press. "They called our criticism ‘insults,'" he explains. "But they don't understand that the role of the press is to criticize." Soon enough, journalists faced reprisals: The RPT fought criticism with harassment, lawsuits, and attacks on newsrooms, while the government passed the punitive 2000 Press Code. Matters worsened for the press during the 2002 parliamentary elections. Because Eyadéma and the RPT tightly control the state media, the political opposition had to rely on the private press as its primary outlet. Unwilling to brook often strident criticism in private newspapers, the government augmented the Press Code's already harsh penalties in the run-up to the poll. he government has long been acutely sensitive to newspaper coverage, even though Togo's literacy rate is only 60 percent. Analysts point out that the Eyadéma regime is fiercely intent on projecting to the world a positive image, much of which emerges from newspapers."The international community suspended cooperation, and there is no money," says Pierre Sabi, publisher of the private La Matinée and an RPT supporter. "So the government's priority is to get this cooperation back. ... That is why they are so concerned with what the newspapers say." Until recently, that meant retaliation against reporters and editors who dared to tarnish the country's international image. But the government seems to have shifted its strategy, loosening its hold on the domestic press to persuade EU leaders to loosen their purse strings. Whereas the RPT resorted to repressive tactics to curb negative press in the past, no journalist has been imprisoned and no newspapers seized in the last year. "We don't intend to imprison journalists," Communications Minister Pitang Tchalla says. "The proof is that there are none in prison today. We wanted journalists to know that we had reached a redline, and I think that [the Press Code] had its intended effect." ive of the 22 pledges the government made in Brussels relate to improving freedom of expression and information, including making the Press Code consistent with international standards; ensuring the political independence of the country's media regulatory agency, the HAAC; and guaranteeing all political parties equitable access to public media. In August, the European Commission, which had sent a mission to Togo's capital, Lomé, in June to evaluate the reforms, laid out a "road map" of steps the Togolese government needs to take, says Antonio Logreco, a member of the EC delegation. Scheduling multiparty elections by the end of 2004, for example, triggers 40 million euros (US$49 million) in EU aid for further democratic reforms. As much as 100 million euros (US$123 million) could be made available over five years if Togo fully meets EC criteria, he says. Local journalists, while welcoming the changes, see many potential pitfalls. Provisions describing criminal press offenses remain vague and could be used to crack down on antigovernment opinions. And the fines assigned to the newly decriminalized offenses, which range up to 5 million CFA francs (about US$9,300), are exorbitant and could spell bankruptcy if applied to local publications.Press advocates also note that the government has long used a variety of "soft" tactics to control the media. Low salaries for journalists and low revenue from private advertising leave reporters and media owners vulnerable to bribes from government officials and politicians; chronic financial problems have also fostered what is known locally as the "combat press," publications that are financed to attack political enemies. "Newspapers lack funds, and authorities buy off the press by giving them money," Lawson-Drackey says. "Almost all of Lomé's newspapers are vulnerable."Such problems, local journalists say, will be solved only when authorities reduce financial burdens on the press by lowering taxes on such items as paper and phone services; fostering a climate in which businesses are not afraid to advertise in critical newspapers; and providing support for journalist training. ress Code improvements will not guarantee greater liberty if authorities circumvent the code, as they have in the past. In 2003, officials imprisoned three journalists for a month for "attempting to publish false information" when the journalists were found with photos of alleged election disturbances. The Press Code does not contain that charge. One of the journalists was fined 500,000 CFA francs (US$865). Two were tortured, CPJ sources say.And while the government has promised political parties equitable access to the state media—the only media with a nationwide reach—there is reason to be wary of this guarantee as well. Before the 2003 presidential elections, the RPT promised to open the state media to opposition parties. But the promises came with a hitch: The HAAC required all political messages to be vetted before being aired on the state broadcasters or appearing in Togo Presse, the state newspaper and Togo's only daily. Opposition candidates complained that their messages were censored. Local journalists say the international community will be instrumental in keeping the government on the path to reform. The EU, they argue, must communicate with independent journalists throughout the reform process."To legislate these reforms is not yet to practice them," warns Franck Assah, a reporter for Crocodile and Togo correspondent for the Panafrican News Agency. "I'm an optimist, but I still have many doubts."John Zodzi, a Togolese journalist and local correspondent for Reuters, says that in the past "whenever a newspaper was seized, the international community didn't intervene." Now, he says, "the European Union is a guarantor—it's up to the EU to intervene."
Courtesy CPJ.ORG
(Adam Posluns, former Africa researcher for CPJ, conducted a mission to Togo in 2003. Alexis Arieff is CPJ's Africa program researcher.)
Courtesy CPJ.ORG
(Adam Posluns, former Africa researcher for CPJ, conducted a mission to Togo in 2003. Alexis Arieff is CPJ's Africa program researcher.)
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