RAWALPINDI, Nov 22: Lawyers and journalists in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad continued their protest against imposition of emergency rule in the country and curbs imposed on the media on Thursday.
The lawyers in Rawalpindi held a protest rally on the district court premises and chanted slogans against the imposition of emergency, unceremonious removal of superior court judges and curtailment of the media. They also observed a one hour’s boycott of court proceedings and sat in the hunger strike camp.
In a general body meeting, the lawyers condemned arrests of lawyers and use of brute force against the protesting journalists.
They said their struggle for the supremacy of law, independence of judiciary, free media and fair elections would continue.
Only young law practitioners were asked to express their view in the meeting and they resolved that they would neither give in nor give up their efforts for the rule of law.
Torture and arrests cannot make us abandon our cause, they vowed.
The meeting also decided to observe a complete strike in the city courts on Friday on the call of the Pakistan Bar Council.
A good number of lawyers also joined protesting journalists outside the Rawalpindi Press Club near Liaquat Bagh.
In Islamabad, the ongoing struggle by journalists for media freedom is gaining momentum and is joined by various labour unions besides civil society activists and political leaders.
On Thursday, when the mediapersons gathered in front of the camp office of Rawalpindi-Islamabad Press Club, a large number of people from labour unions and the general public joined them and chanted slogans against the media curbs.
The protest turned into a big gathering after the residents of G-6 and nearby areas thronged the Municipal Road, where senior journalist Talat Hussain was conducting his show - Live with Talat - in front of the camp office.
The hosts of the programme including Nusrat Javed, Nasim Zehra, Kashif Abbasi and Mushtaq Minhas condemned the media curbs and observed that fair and transparent elections could not be ensured without free media.
The office-bearers of PFUJ and Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists on the occasion decided to conduct a series of live TV talk shows and urged the people to participate in the programmes for getting latest news and critical analysis of the ongoing political situation in the country.
In this regard, another programme by Hamid Mir would be conducted on Friday at 2.30pm in front of the camp office.
MURREE: A large number of mediapersons, political figures, representatives of civil society, teachers and students, staged protest demonstrations here on Thursday against curbs on media and beating of mediapersons by the authorities.
President of Murree Press Club and Murree Union of Journalists, Imtiazul Haq led the demonstrations.
The police stopped the demonstrators at GPO chowk and did not allow them to proceed to the Mall Road and threatened them with dire consequences if they went against the orders.
At this, the agitating protesters went back to the press club where they raised slogans against the government and showed their solidarity with the journalists’ community of the country.
Speakers on the occasion condemned the government brutal action against the mediapersons who were peacefully protesting for their rights.
They said right of expression was the basic right of a human being and the constitution of Pakistan ensured this to its citizens.
They further said curbs on media by the present military government was a continuity of past such actions by different military regimes. They wowed to continue their protest till the freedom of media.
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