Saturday, June 24, 2006

Gagging the press

Being a journalist in Pakistan , especially an independent-minded one who would want to practice the profession as it should be done, has never been easy. Other than the relatively low pay compared with what one gets in many other professions, the problem has always been that there is often a heavy price to pay for investigative journalism. In carrying out their professional duties, journalists in this country face threats not only from the state and its various law-enforcement and intelligence agencies but also from non-government parties such as the land mafia, religious and political organisations and sometimes even commercial entities.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/arc_news.asp?id=8

Justice for journalists

The news story of the two missing journalists, Mukesh Rupeta, a correspondent for Geo television and cameraman Sunjay Kumar, who were produced before a court by police officials, reminds us again of the cruel murder of the Hayatullah Khan. He was kidnapped by unknown masked men and kept in captivity for more than six months.

http://www.thepost.com.pk/Arc_EditorialNews.aspx?dtlid=45873
&catid=10&date=06/24/2006&fcatid=14

NEWS:

Freedom of Mukesh: Video report

http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/mukesh_hi.ram

Journalists freed

Authorities freed two journalists on bail Friday three months after they were detained for filming the Jacobabad airbase once used by coalition forces for operations in Afghanistan , said their defence lawyer and an official.
http://www.thepost.com.pk/Arc_MainNews.aspx?bdtl_id=2708
&fb_id=2&catid=14&date=06/24/2006&fcatid=14

‘Airbase filming' TV journalists freed on bail

Mukesh Rupeta, correspondent of a private television channel, and cameraman Sanjay Kumar were given bail on surety bonds of Rs 25,000 on Friday. The two men had been detained three months ago for filming an airbase in Jacobabad.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\06\24\
story_24-6-2006_pg1_5

TV channel reporter, cameraman freed on bail

Television reporter Mukesh Rupeta and cameraman Sanjay Kumar were granted bail by the second civil judge and judicial magistrate here on Friday. They were booked under section 419, 465, 471 of the PPC, 3-A of the Official Secret Act 1923 by the SHO of the Airport police station on behalf of the state.

http://www.dawn.com/2006/06/24/nat9.htm

Photographers depose before inquiry tribunal

The inquiry tribunal of Justice Rahmat Hussain Jaffery probing into the Nishtar Park tragedy on Friday saw pictures taken by press cameramen prior to and after the bomb blast, observing that “a lot of answers have been received after seeing these photographs.”

http://www.thenews.com.pk/arc_news.asp?id=4

140 PTV employees in surplus pool

Central Employees Union of Pakistan Television has appealed to President Pervez Musharraf to intervene to solve problems of PTV employees. Speaking at a function held to give TV sets to the retired employees of the corporation, Mohammad Saleem Khan, president of the PTV Central Employees Union, said that the corporation had placed 140 employees in the surplus pool, while some influential people had been employed on high salaries.

http://www.dawn.com/2006/06/24/nat32.htm

Ulema reject media blitz

A group of leading religious scholars here on Friday rejected what they called a media blitz against the jurisprudential matters of Islam, and demanded an end to it.

http://www.dawn.com/2006/06/24/local13.htm

Rally against murder of Hayatullah

Journalists and politicians took out a rally here on Friday to protest the murder of Hayatullah Khan in South Waziristan and Amir Cheema by the German police. Addressing the protesters, Tehsil Nazim Rana Afzal Hussain, former district council chairman Rana Ijaz Hussain, Ulema Council tehsil president Maulana Muhammad Mansha Tabish Kasuri, Muhammad Amin Chattha and Syed Munir Hussain Sherazi demanded exemplary punishment for the accused.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/arc_news.asp?id=5

FM LISTENING: ‘Desi Fun on Friday' not so funny

‘Desi Fun on Friday' was the promo I heard last Friday as I tuned into Radio One FM at about 10:20 am. There must be something interesting and special about this Friday, I thought. To check this out I kept listening to Radio One FM 91. Suddenly the voice of a female DJ could be heard hosting the show called ‘Heads over Heels'.

http://www.thepost.com.pk/Arc_IsbNews.aspx?dtlid=45916
&catid=17&date=06/24/2006&fcatid=14

FEATURE:

What bad luck he had!

A few could have recognised Mukesh Rupeta in two photographs printed Friday in this newspaper as the authorities finally produced him after a period of three-and-a-half months of illegal confinement.  Colleagues, friends, officials of his organisations; even mother, wife and the two cute, innocent children of his were horrified to see him in the present shape.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/arc_news.asp?id=6

Paying the price of professionalism

We, the reporters, always run the risk of being snubbed, given shut up calls and are even meted out unexpected treatment when we approach ministers, senior government officials or other parties for reaction on something that puts their backs up.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/arc_news.asp?id=6

NEWS SOURCES:

The News: http://jang.com.pk/thenews/

The Nation: http://www.nation.com.pk/

Daily Times: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/

The Dawn: http://www.dawn.com

Spider: www.spider.tm

BBC South Asia : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/

Herald: http://dawn.com/herald/

Aurora : www.aurora@dawn.com

The Economist: www.economist.com

IFEX: www.ifex.org

Jang: http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/

Nawa-i-waqt: http://www.nawaiwaqt.com.pk

Khabrain: http://www.khabrain.com

Daily Development News: http://asp.isb.sdnpk.org/

The Post: http://www.thepost.com.pk/

Business Recorder: http://www.brecorder.com

Asia Media: www.asiamedia.ucla.edu

PEMRA: www.pemra.gov.pk

Compiled by, Sajid Gondal Media Monitor, Internews Pakistan .

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

Updated at 11:00 PST (06:00 GMT)