QUETTA, Oct 2: Journalists held demonstrations across the country on Tuesday in protest against the murder last week of a colleague and the registration of a case against some journalists who took part in a protest in Quetta on Monday.

Members of the Balochistan Union of Journalists (BUJ) took out a procession in Quetta on Tuesday in protest against the killing of Abdul Haq Baloch in Khuzdar a couple of days ago and the case registered against some 25 journalists.

They later held a demonstration at the PTCL chowk and raised slogans against the government.

Speaking on the occasion, Isa Tareen, Abdul Khaliq Rind, Owais Tauhid, Irfan Saeed, Syed Ali Shah and Abdul Kabir Shakir criticised the government for registering the case against journalists for holding a peaceful demonstration near the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.

They said that dozens of journalists, including Mr Baloch, had been killed in the past few years but the government and police had failed to arrest a single killer.

They said the journalists were playing an important role in the province, but the government was busy in registering cases against them.

The speakers said the journalists would not be frightened by threats or registration of cases and would not make any compromise on freedom of press.

Our Hyderabad correspondent adds: A number of journalists held a demonstration on Tuesday against the killing of Mr Baloch and condemned the registration of fake cases against 25 journalists.

They carried banners and placards and gathered outside the press club.

They called upon the government to arrest the killers of Haq Baloch and withdraw the cases against journalists.

They said the government must take steps to ensure protection of lives of journalists.