Thursday November 02, 2006

A daily review of media coverage of media and communications issues

Veteran journalist murdered

A veteran journalist of a national news agency Muhammad Ismail was killed under mysterious circumstances and his body was found from the green belt of F-6/1, some 30 feet away from Shahid-e-Millat Road , here Wednesday morning, police sources said. The preliminary medical report has confirmed it was a target killing as rope marks were found on his both wrists. Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Durrani condemning the episode said a climate of insecurity has been created as a sequel to the incident. He assured that elements involved in this heinous crime will be brought to book soon.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=3991

Journalist killed in cold blood

Unidentified people on Wednesday killed Pakistan Press International (PPI) Bureau Chief Muhammad Ismail Malik in cold blood and left his body in the green belt near the Khosar Police Station. Ashfaq Ahmed, a police investigation officer, called it a “targeted” killing, ruling out the possibility that Ismail was killed by robbers on resistance. A passer-by spotted the body and reported the matter to the police, who rushed to the scene and sent the body to hospital for autopsy.
Ismail attended a reception in Turkish Embassy on Tuesday night and returned to his office. He left the office for a walk and went missing. His relatives and the PPI staff informed the police about his disappearance.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\11\02\story_2-11-2006_pg11_3

Journalist found brutally murdered

A senior Islamabad-based journalist, Malik Mohammad Ismail Khan, was brutally murdered overnight near a central market of the capital in what a government minister called an act of terrorism. The body of the 50-year-old bureau chief of the Pakistan Press International (PPI) news agency in Islamabad , with his head smashed, was found on Wednesday morning lying among trees in a green belt, not far from his office in the Super Market of the capital's F-6 Markaz, the police said.

http://www.dawn.com/2006/11/02/nat4.htm

Senior Journalist Malik Ismail murdered

Pakistan Press International Bureau chief and senior journalist Malik Ismail was mysteriously murdered in between night of Tuesday and Wednesday by unknown persons. According to details, unknown persons murdered Malik Ismail and later threw his body in a jungle located in F-6 near PSO petrol pump. It has been told that Ismail was working as a bureau chief in PPI news agency and Tuesday night after attending a function at the Turkish embassy, went for a walk, but did not return.

http://www.thepost.com.pk/IsbNews.aspx?dtlid=66361&catid=17

Al Jazeera to launch English news channel

Pan-Arab satellite TV channel Al Jazeera will launch its English language news and current affairs channel on Nov 15. The Al Jazeera Network said the channel would begin broadcasting from its Doha headquarters at 1200 GMT on that day. The Al Jazeera English language website would also be re-launched at the same time. The launching date of the English channel was announced after several delays. The launch coincides with the 10-year anniversary of Al Jazeera, the network's Arabic-language channel.

http://www.dawn.com/2006/11/02/top15.htm

Govt taking stern steps to check cyber crimes: Adviser

Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister for Information Technology and Alternative Energy, Noman Saigal, on Wednesday said that the government was taking all legal actions to control cyber crimes and computer hacking and FIA and other law enforcing agencies were directed to keep a close eye on elements involved in this malpractice. Talking to a delegation of computer experts at his office here, he said that the government was also taking steps to strengthen coordination amongst FIA and other law enforcing agencies to check cyber crimes.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=30298

Urdu could be world's second largest language'

The religio-political scenario in South Asia had separated Hindi from Urdu and divided speakers of the same language into two groups, which if counted together could turn Urdu into the second largest language of the world, said Dr Tariq Rehman, national distinguished professor of Linguistics and South Asian Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University. Dr Rehman was speaking at a conference on “Historiography in the Subcontinent: Trend and Issues”. The Pakistan Study Center of the University of Karachi organized the conference at the Shaikh Zayed Center Wednesday.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\11\02\story_2-11-2006_pg12_5

Sherry Rehman lambasts journalist's murder

Pakistan People's Party-Parliamentarians Central Information Secretary Sherry Rehman has expressed grief over the gruesome murder of a journalist, Muhammad Ismail, in the capital city. She termed the killing an unfortunate incident and a direct result of the government's policies. “Mohammad Ismail was a brave journalist who always stood with unflinching determination against the oppressive forces,” she added.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\11\02\story_2-11-2006_pg11_4

Speaker directs govt to publish ads in big national dailies

Speaker NWFP Assembly Bakht Jehan Khan Wednesday directed the provincial government to ensure publication of government advertisements especially regarding recruitments in big national dailies to make the procedure more transparent and fair. The chair gave his remarks during question hour when Riffat Akbar Swati of the PPP in her question referred to publication of ads regarding appointments in grade one to grade-17 in works and services department during 2002 to 2004 in three small regional papers published from Dera Ismail Khan.

http://www.worldservicesint.com/newfp/News.aspx?ncat=cn&nid=9

LETTER TO EDITOR

Pakistan embassy website

HAVE been trying to access the website of Pakistan embassy in Washington DC in order to obtain information and apply for a national identity card for overseas Pakistanis. I regret to say that on each and every attempt I received a message that this site is temporarily unavailable.I then tried to apply on line from the link on Nadra's website.This too failed and error messages were received.

http://www.dawn.com/2006/11/02/letted.htm#5

COMPILED by: Sajid Gondal, Media Monitor, Internews Pakistan (www.internews.org.pk)

DISCLAIMER: The contents, including news and headlines, in this newsletter are reproduced from their respective publications ad verbatim as a public service. Internews does not author the contents and these, therefore, do not necessarily reflect organizational policy.