Friday September 15, 2006

A daily review of media coverage of media and communications issues

VIOLATION AGAINST MEDIA

Senior journalist shot dead

Senior journalist Maqbool Hussain Siyal, also a district correspondent for Online news agency in Dera Ismail Khan, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen. The 32-year old journalist was on his way to meet PPPP leader Nawab Azek when two gunmen on a bike shot him in the head on Circular Road . He died on his way to hospital. His body was handed over to his family after autopsy. Siyal's funeral will be held today. The DI Khan Union of Journalists has condemned the incident, calling it a blatant attack on the freedom of press.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\09\15\
story_15-9-2006_pg7_38

Torture: Opposition Walkout

http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/story/2006/09/060914_
journalist_torture_fz.shtml

Newsmen boycott NA session over thrashing of journalist

The journalists on Thursday boycotted the session of the National Assembly in a protest against the beating of senior journalist CR Shamsi by bodyguards of Minister for Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis Ghulam Sarwar on Wednesday night in the Parliament House. The opposition also staged a walkout from the National Assembly and boycotted whole proceedings of the day expressing solidarity with journalists over the excesses of guards of the minister.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=24186

NA walkout over manhandling of journalist

The opposition in the National Assembly and Senate on Thursday jointly protested the manhandling of a senior journalist by federal minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan's bodyguard, and staged a walkout from the both houses of parliament. Sarwar's bodyguards manhandled CR Shamsi, senior journalist and executive body member of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, on Wednesday night inside the Parliament House for raising the issue of implementation of the 7th Wage Board Award. Shamsi suffered damage to his right ear.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\09\15\
story_15-9-2006_pg7_1

MNAs criticise labour minister for ‘beating up' journalist

Treasury and opposition members of the National Assembly (MNAs) on Thursday criticised Labour Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan for allegedly ordering his bodyguards to beat up CR Shamsi, a senior Islamabad-based journalist. After two long breaks, NA Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain had to adjourn the session when opposition members announced they would not attend proceedings if journalists did not end their boycott over the incident.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\09\15\
story_15-9-2006_pg7_13

Journalist beating mars Senate, NA sessions

Opposition, journalists walk out in protest

The Opposition Thursday staged a walkout from the Senate against the beating of a senior journalist, C R Shamsi, by the bodyguards of Federal Labour and Manpower Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan. Also, the journalists walked out of the National Assembly, protesting the attack.

http://www.thepost.com.pk

IFJ condemns brutal bashing of senior journalist

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is shocked and appalled at news of the brutal bashing of senior journalist and union leader Cr. Shamsi by the security guards of the Federal Minister for Labour on September 13 in Islamabad, after Shamsi demanded the implementation of the Seventh Wage Award.

http://www.frontierpost.com.pk/index.php?page=news&nid
=5059&tname=home_news

Minister assailed for assault on newsman

Members form both the ruling and opposition parties denounced Labour Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan in parliament on Thursday for allegedly ordering an overnight assault on a journalist by his security guards. In their speeches, they also called for a parliamentary probe after journalists boycotted the day's proceedings of both the National Assembly and the Senate to protest against the attack on a former Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) secretary-general, C.R. Shamsi, in parliament's premises at the end of Wednesday's lower house sitting.

http://www.dawn.com/2006/09/15/top7.htm

Government remains silent on findings of investigations into Hayatullah Khan's murder

Reporters Without Borders voiced dismay today about the silence with which the Pakistani authorities, including information minister Mohammad Ali Durrani, have greeted the findings of the two reports they have received about the kidnapping and murder of Hayatullah Khan, a journalist based in North Waziristan who worked for the Urdu-language daily Ausaf and the European Press Photo Agency (EPA).

http://www.pakistanpressfoundation.org/userMediaFiles
Details.asp?uid=7634

PARLIAMENTARIANS & MEDIA

Non-reporting on Balochistan: ‘To hell with the Press'

Several opposition senators from Balochistan severely criticised the press on Thursday for “not reporting their speeches” on the Balochistan issue and also made other derogatory remarks such as “to hell with the press” adding that the government should not be blackmailed by journalists. The opposition senators' remarks followed journalists' walkout from the National Assembly and Senate proceedings.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\09\15\story_15-9-2006_pg7_2

Baloch senators lash out at press

While journalists boycotted Senate proceedings to press their demands on Thursday, Baloch nationalist senators complained that their speeches on the situation in Balochistan were not being given due coverage. Dr Abdul Malik, Raza Muhammad Raza and Liaquat Ali Bangulzai criticised mediapersons, and said they should not be allowed to dictate terms on every issue. They said freedom of the press was good but it should not be unbridled and media should not be allowed to take their decisions independently. Acting Chairman Mir Jan Mohammad Jamali informed the house that he had always supported freedom of the press and recalled that he had turned down a proposal to stop newspapers' advertisements to control them when he was chief minister of Balochistan.

http://www.dawn.com/2006/09/15/nat2.htm

MEDIA RELEASE

Documentary highlights Baloch grievances

Contrary to government claims, the sense of political and economic deprivation in Balochistan is deep, and Baloch nationalist leaders are enjoying wide public support in the province. This is evident from Baloch interviews in a documentary on the province, ‘Negotiating at Gunpoint', which was screened by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) and People's Rights Movement (PRM) on Monday.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\09\15\story_15-9-2006_pg7_16

Permission likely for Pearl film

Pakistan may consider granting permission for the shooting of a film about slain US reporter Daniel Pearl, an official said on Thursday. Police last month detained crew members who were shooting for the movie A Mighty Heart near the hotel in Karachi from where the Wall Street Journal reporter was abducted in 2002. Actress Angelina Jolie will star in the movie based on Mariane Pearl's book on the ordeal of her husband. Officials said the Karachi shoot had been stopped because filming permission had not been granted.

http://www.dawn.com/2006/09/15/top9.htm

No objection to Daniel Pearl film

Pakistani authorities said on Thursday that they had no objection to the shooting of a film in Karachi on slain US journalist Daniel Pearl, but the crew must get permission for security reasons. “The government has not opposed the movie, but formal permission is required to avoid security problems,” said Sindh Interior Secretary Ghulam Mohammad Mohtaram.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\09\15\story_15-9-2006_pg1_4

SEMINAR

Pak journalist shares views with Safma:

Israel foreign policy driven by fear in security forces

The foreign policy of Israel is driven by fear that is embedded deep in the psychology of Israeli security forces and common men, says Imtiaz Gul, the first Pakistani journalist, who recently visited Israel . Sharing his "impressions and observations" during a seminar organised by South Asia Free Media Association (Safma) Thursday, he said Israeli leaders and people appeared to him highly paranoiac as they felt that the Arab neighbours were sworn to seek end of Israeli state.


http://www.thepost.com.pk/ShortNews.aspx?shortid=2499&catid=2

ARTICLES:

GALLERY & CAFETERIA:

Spinelessly dancing to praetorian dictates

Nusrat Javeed

C R Shamsi is a senior journalist of Islamabad who has been reporting on political happenings for more than two decades. Almost all leaders and activists of various political parties are fully familiar with his face. They also know that he is an enthusiastic trade unionist. I refuse to believe that Ghulam Sarwar Khan did not know him or was not familiar with his anxious style. Still, the minister of Labour and Manpower allowed his guard to physically handle him the other day, when Shamsi found Mr Khan waiting for his car outside the main entrance of parliament house.

http://www.thepost.com.pk/IsbNews.aspx?dtlid=59122&catid=17

MORE

“Journalist shot dead in D I Khan”, The News, Page-9

“ Bureau Chief Online , Maqbool Hussain Siyal shot dead”, Daily Aaj Peshawar , Front Page  

“ Manhandling of journalist: Journalists walkout from National Assembly” Daily Express , Front page

“In global scenario protection of Intellectual property rights is vital: Chairman PEMRA”, Daily Express , Page-4

“PEMRA seals 3 cable operators for showing illegal channels”, Daily Times , Page-B-2

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.  

UPDATED: 1100 PST (0600 GMT)