Monday September 18, 2006

A daily review of media coverage of media and communications issues

VIOLATION AGAINST MEDIA

Journalists in tribal areas facing tough time

Journalism in Fata is very difficult from many aspects. The first thing, which is a barrier in the way of tribal journalists, is the system in Fata called Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR). Under this black law the press is under restriction, as the other rights of the tribals are not secured in Fata. The political administration in Fata is so strong that it can hardly be harnessed by any organization including journalists. The unlimited powers of the political administration have imparted it a very unique status to rule over Fata without any hurdle. The political administration is not accountable and answerable to any higher authority or to the public that is why the tribal journalists can hardly venture to challenge the political administration. Due to vast powers the political administration is solely the root cause of all evils in tribal areas. The budget of the political administration is unauditable. Most of its income is generated from inside the agencies and the Federal government also gives funds to political administration, which are at their disposal.

http://www.frontierpost.com.pk/index.php?page=news&nid=
2764&tname=city_news

Police thrash TV reporters

The police tortured two reporters and a cameraman of two private TV channels and subjected them to humiliation, without any provocation, at the main gate of Minar-e-Pakistan while they were covering a religious convention on Saturday. 
The incident led to blocking of ARY Network's transmission after the channel continued to highlight the report despite timely and prompt action by the Punjab government against the policemen.

http://www.nation.com.pk/daily/sep-2006/18/index3.php

TV ban follows police attack on journalists

The Punjab government on Sunday night made cable operators in the province to stop airing a private TV channel after it ‘ran a campaign' against the provincial administration after police assaulted three journalists at Minar-i-Pakistan on Saturday night. Reporters Wadood Mushtaq and Nazir Awan and cameraman Zahid Malik were thrashed and injured allegedly by Lohari Gate police when they visited Minar-i-Pakistan to cover a public meeting of Sunni Tehrik.

http://www.dawn.com/2006/09/18/nat27.htm

Police beat up journalists mercilessly

Police manhandled and tortured three journalists at a religious congregation at Minar-e-Pakistan late Saturday night, witnesses said. Witnesses said that policemen led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mukhtar Shah broke bones and caused serious injuries to three mediapersons, who are being treated at the Mayo Hospital. Sources said the incident occurred when Nazir Awan and Malik Zahid, a reporter and cameraman from the ATV channel respectively, were trying to enter Minar-e-Pakistan to cover the Sunni conference. They were stopped by the DSP and his guards who were behind their car. The police guards asked them to give way to their vehicle but when they failed to 'comply' the police guards started calling them names. After a heated argument, the policemen started beating them. Wadood Mushtaq, a senior reporter from the ARY news channel, tried to intervene but policemen also tortured him, saying, "Look, this is how the police deal with such issues."
http://www.thepost.com.pk/Ba_ShortNews.aspx?fbshortid=1172&
bcatid=14&bstatus=Current&fcatid=14&fstatus=Current

News reporter implicated in triple murder case

Shakeel Anjum, the crime correspondent of The News, has been implicated in Saturday's triple murder case near Taramri Chowk in the jurisdiction of Shehzad Town police station that sent shock waves across the federal capital. The Station House Officer (SHO) of Shehzad Town police station, Inspector Idrees Rathore, included his name in the FIR (No 326, Sept 16, 2006), lodged in the case under sections 302, 324, 148, 149, 427, 109 PPC and 6/7 Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), clearly as an act of vengeance against the reporter who had been filing stories against the bad conduct and inefficiency of the officer who had been repeatedly found exceeding his authority.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=3105

Lahore police torture two journalists, cameraman

The police tortured two journalists and a cameraman at Minar-e-Pakistan when they tried to cover a Sunni Tehrik function on Sunday. A local reporter, Wadood Mushtaq, said that he had reached the Minar-e-Pakistan at about 12:30pm and parked his car along with those of a DSP and an inspector, but the cops present there asked him to park the vehicle somewhere else.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=24713

MEDIA PROTEST

Torture of journalists Political, religious leaders condemn police's highhandedness

Journalist community takes out protest rally

The journalist community and political and religious leaders Sunday strongly condemned the police's torture of representatives of ARY and ATV at Minar-e-Pakistan and demanded the government take notice of such incidents. They said that police's highhandedness with journalists had become a routine matter, adding that police had become a state within a state. Police had subjected Wadood Mushtaq, a senior reporter of ARY, cameraman Nazeer Awan and Zahid Malik, a reporter of ATV, to severe torture at Minar-e-Pakistan where they went to cover a religious congregation titled `Sunni Conference'.

http://www.thepost.com.pk/CityNews.aspx?dtlid=59615&catid=3

Journalists to protest police torture today

Different unions of working journalists have announced to stage a protest demonstration on Monday (today) here in front of Punjab assembly against severe torture of police on the reporters. Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, Punjab Union of Journalists and All Pakistan Newspapers Employees Confederation have vehemently condemned the police torture on Senior Reporter of a private TV channel Wadoud Mushtaq and TV's correspondents Zahid Malik and Nazir Awan during their professional duties. 

http://www.nation.com.pk/daily/sep-2006/18/localnews2.php

‘ We were beaten for ‘blocking' DSP's passage'

ATV Staff Reporter Nazir Awan said that the policemen beat him and other journalists up for coming in the way of the DSP Mukhtar Shah's car. He said that he had parked his TV van in front of Minar-e-Pakistan Gate No-1 but police did not allow him to enter the park for covering the conference. "Meanwhile, DSP Mukhtar Shah's car came there and police asked me to move the van.

http://www.thepost.com.pk/CityNews.aspx?dtlid=59620&catid=3

CPJ condemns Reporter killed by masked gunmen in DI Khan

The Committee to Protect Journalists called today on Pakistani authorities to conduct a thorough and timely investigation into the shooting death of journalist Maqbool Hussain Sail. Two masked gunmen on a motorcycle shot Sail late Thursday in Dera Ismail Khan, 175 miles (280 kilometers) southwest of Islamabad, according to the Rural Media Network Pakistan (RMNP), and media reports. Sail, 32, died on his way to the hospital. CPJ is investigating to determine whether Sail's murder was related to his work as a journalist. Police are investigating the case, but have made no arrests.

http://www.cpj.org/news/2006/asia/pak26july06na.html

RADIO SECTOR

FM LISTENING: FM popularity rated for the first time

FM channels are truly meant for the young generation. These channels no doubt have become another source of entertainment for the youth besides TV, video games and internet. This, at least is the 'believed' viewpoint about FM channels, the new medium of 'infotainment', held by most parents and the elder generation. To check how much truth was in this, I conducted a small survey.
http://www.thepost.com.pk/IsbNews.aspx?dtlid=59573&catid=17

FM LISTENING: ‘Govt, public support needed to save cinemas'

LAHORE : Lollywood's top film director Syed Noor has said that substandard cinemas are an obstacle to the development of the film industry and it is essential to upgrade cinema houses in order for the film industry to progress. He was speaking at a talk show on 'The down fall of Pakistani film industry' on FM 101 Saturday evening.

http://www.thepost.com.pk/CityNews.aspx?dtlid=59605&catid=3

Media & Government

‘ Journalists' housing scheme not to be relocated'

Punjab Minister for Law and Local Government Raja Muhammad Basharat said on Sunday that the proposed site for the Journalists' Housing Scheme at Lohi Bhair would not be changed. Basharat was talking to a delegation of the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Press Club. He said the final date of the proposed housing scheme's ground breaking ceremony would be confirmed on Monday during his meeting with Punjab Chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\09\18\story_18-9-2006_pg7_11

‘7th Wage Board Award before Eid'

Journalists end boycott of press galleries, stage protest demonstration

The government has assured journalists that the 7th Wage Board Award will be implemented before Eid-ul-Fitr. Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani gave the assurance while talking to journalists here on Friday.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\09\16\story_16-9-2006_pg7_8

MEDIA RELEASE

Media guide on British Muslims launched

The British Council Karachi launched on Saturday a media guide on British Muslims, a brainchild of British Council's cultural relations think-tank Counterpoint, which had the support from Association of British Muslim Social Scientists. The British Council in collaboration with the British Alumni Association organised the launch of the media guide. Written by London-based journalist Ehsan Masood, it provides succinct information, as well as a directory of contacts in Muslim organisations.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=24694

News From Urdu Press

Daily Aaj Peshawar

“Pushto TV Channel Market Manager dies in road accident” Page 8

“ATV media team dishonored in Tkhat Bahi”,  Page 8

Nawa-e-Waqat, Islamabad  

“First Lady of Pakistan Begum Sehba Mushrraf will inaugurate a web site on Pakistan in New York on Monday”. Page-1

“Raja Bashart says no change in plan of action for journalist colony”, Page-2

“Journalist planned protest in Islamabad against victimization of media men on Monday”, Page-3

“Polls for divisional union of journalist Rawalpindi tomorrow”, Page-5

“Hazro press club condemns victimization of Sahmasi”, Page-5

“MD PTV will address a press conference today for Ramzan transmission plan”, Page-5

“Case registered against police official for victimization of ARY media team in Lahore”, Page-12

“ARY transmission blocked in Lahore and other parts of Punjab”, Page-11

Daily Umat Karachi

“CM NWFP announced financial aid for heirs of a journalist killed in DI Khan”, Page-11

Daily Khabrain Islamabad

“President apologizes for no prior information about his book”, Page-1

“US media accelerates propaganda against Pakistan during President's stay in US”, page-1

“Cable operators say Police asked to block ARY transmission”, Page-1

“PEMRA denies any order to block transmission of any channel”, Page-11

“Media community protest scheduled today outside Punjab assembly in Lahore”, Page-6

“Attock press club demands action against offenders of victimization of media men”, Page-7

“Ashraf Azeem Press conference today for Holy Month transmission arrangements”, Page-8

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)