People’s Movements in Pakistan by Aslam Khwaja

“This book is stuffed with facts regarding people’s movements in the history of Pakistan. It is important because the book has been published at a time when alternative facts have struck the world,” said Haris Gazdar, a leading researcher, while speaking at the launch of People’s Movements in Pakistan, authored by Aslam Khwaja at the Arts Council of Pakistan (ACP). The event was organised by Kitab Publishers and ACP Karachi. Mr Gazdar hinted at the recent controversial phrase of ‘alternative facts’ used by counsellor to President Trump Kellyanne Conway in which she defended the White House press secretary’s statement about the attendance at Donald Trump’s inauguration as President of the United States. “At present, writing on religion, terrorism and ethnicity-related issues inspires most researchers, they sell good, thus the topic that the author of this book has chosen is a rarity in this age, but it is hugely important for the new generations who have little or no knowledge about it,” he added. Dr Riaz Shaikh of the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology said the book was written with a political commitment. He said the book inspired questions about the importance of mass movements and how they impacted the society and the future of societies. He said most movements were against the state. “Women are still struggling for their rights, but religious bigotry is getting stronger and oppressing them more.” Labour rights campaigner Karamat Ali said Mohammad Ali Jinnah was among the first icons who fought for the rights of workers. He said the Quaid fought to get the landmark legislation passed during the British rule in 1926, which gave the right of association to workers of all kinds, including those employees working in the armed forces who were not in uniform. Anis Haroon, eminent women’s rights campaigner, said the book gave deserving space to women’s movement generally denied by the rest. Author Aslam Khwaja said he wrote the book to put together all facts and left it to the readers to analyse them. Reference: Book on people’s movements launched by Hasan Mansoor (Dawn February 04, 2017) People's Movements in Pakistan by Aslam Khwaja (Author),‎ Ms. Zhila Shah (Photographer) https://www.amazon.in/Peoples-Movements-Pakistan-Aslam-Khwaja/dp/8193561678

Book Launch: People's Movements in Pakistan by Aslam Khwaja

URL : https://youtu.be/rkY1qf3KGT8

Aslam Khwaja’s People’s Movements in Pakistan historically locates, and explains, the mass movements in Pakistan in the age of ‘alternative facts’. Traversing a broad timeline that charts the democratic struggles against successive dictatorships, the book also revisits the trials and tribulations of artists and poets part of the Progressive Writer’s Association, as well as discusses the origins of the feminist movement in Pakistan. Aslam Khwaja was born in Hyderabad in 1962, and remained a prominent figure on the leftist political landscape of Pakistan in the late 1970s. He worked as a reporter and sub-editor with leading Sindhi newspapers of his time, has translated over two dozen books from Sindhi into English, and is the author of ‘1857 kī jang-i-azādī’. He has been working with The Eidhi Foundation since 1986, and was an active part of the India-Pakistan peace initiative, including the New Delhi-Multan Peace March of 2005. People’s Movements in Pakistan is his most recent book. Reference: Book Launch: People’s Movements in Pakistan by Aslam Khwaja Friday, 21st April 2017 http://www.t2f.biz/book-launch-peoples-movements-in-pakistan-by-aslam-khwaja/

Panel discussion on People's Movements in Pakistan

People’s Movements in Pakistan by Khwaja is narrated in English, unlike the other two books being discussed which are in Urdu. Not only is it by far the most comprehensive collection of information on significant political and social movements waged in West Pakistan — which became Pakistan after 1971 — it offers a fresh description of old events that continue to shape the choices Pakistan makes as a state, and the radicalisation that has firmly rooted itself in our society and body politic. Khwaja is primarily a journalist and while this fact makes his rendition more accessible, his work can also be considered as providing basic material for further academic inquiry into each of the movements and the role of individuals that he discusses — from peasants’ uprisings to women’s movements. Reference: NARRATIVE ARC: In the shadow of defeat by Harris Khalique March 12, 2017 https://www.dawn.com/news/1319970

People's Movements in Pakistan

Aslam Khwaja’s book People’s Movements in Pakistan uncovers Pakistan’s peoples’ movements which very rarely find mention in the news in India despite the fact that there are common threads between resistance movements on both sides of the divide. Speaking at the launch of the book, Siddharth Varadarajan, a founding editor of The Wire, said the book is not a linear narrative, but a layered and even tough read. In fact, that’s precisely where the merit of Khwaja’s book lies. With separate chapters on the struggles of civil society for democracy against the military, workers and trades unions, peasants, Pakistan’s ethnic groups like the Baloch, student movements and of course, the women’s movement, he opens up a part of Pakistan that is mostly non-existent for Indians. There is also an excellent chapter on art, culture and literature as a site of resistance. The book’s origin lies in an invitation the Delhi-based writer and activist Noor Zaheer extended Khwaja, ‘a Left political activist from Sind’, to attend a conference in Amritsar where he spoke about the way democratic forces were struggling for survival in Pakistan and how causes were being upheld and kept alive against the onslaught of insecure and power hungry regimes. ‘Learn to differentiate between the people and the state,’ Noor recalled her father, Sajjad Zaheer – or ‘Banney bhai’ as he was lovingly called by all his friends and admirers – telling her when she was a young girl of 12. For her, those words became the raison d’être of the book. Meticulous work with newspaper archives and historical records went into the book, which was published in Pakistan to much acclaim. It is now available in India thanks to the Wardha-based publishers, The Marginalised. For 70 years, with a few exceptions, both the Pakistani and Indian states have stoked hatred for each other through unrelenting propaganda. Regimes on either side have relied on the bogey of an overarching enemy to garner votes, or simply whenever the going got tough on the domestic front. In this respect, both countries are mirror images. The poet Fehmida Reyaz, who lived in India for seven years of self imposed exile during the military rule of General Zia, immortalised this mirror imaging in these lines: (You turned out just like us/Where were you hiding all these years?/The same foolishness, the same thick-headedness/With which we wasted an era/Finally has reached your doors too/Congratulations, my brother, congratulations). Reference: Uncovering People’s Movements in Pakistan BY SYEDA HAMEED ON 14/02/2018 https://thewire.in/223811/peoples-movements-pakistan/

Media and Civil Military Equations in Pakistan - Ejaz Haider

That the March 28 attack in Lahore on journalist Raza Rumi was cowardly and highly condemnable is to state the obvious. Raza is a nonviolent, nonconfrontationist, evolved man who trades in ideas. Mild in manners, civilized in conversation, he stands his ground firmly but politely. There is no space in his universe for bombs and bullets. In fact, his entire effort as a writer, thinker, and speaker has been to return this country to a more evolved state where differences of opinion do not lead to killing. And yet, he is a target and has been for a while. In a country where we have seen much violence and where violence seems to be working in favor of those who perpetrate and perpetuate it, we tend to forget the power of ideas. Not the killers, though. They know that they cannot win until they have silenced everyone who speaks out against their creed, grounded in hate and exclusion. That’s why Raza was and is a threat to them. Raza survived the attack. He has been very lucky and we, his friends, can only thank God for that. His driver, whose only fault was to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, didn’t. I feel angry at such gratuitous violence, but anger must be tempered with thinking if we have to develop a response to such acts. The attack on Raza is not the first of its kind and given the kind of enemy we are dealing with, it won’t be the last either. So, what, if at all anything, can be done? First, we have to realize that no situation is entirely hopeless. This is not to say that we can deal with the whirlwind quickly, given how much effort we have put in in sowing the wind. But measures can be taken to address the situation. Currently, journalists are without any security or even training that can help them deal with such situations with any degree of confidence. Meanwhile, media houses have shown scant regard for their employees’ safety even as the threat has grown. They need to realize that it is not business as usual. People are now writing and speaking in an environment where their words can get them killed. It is insensitive and downright stupid for media houses to encourage people to speak freely and then do nothing to protect them. A TV channel’s responsibility doesn’t end after someone has left the studio. In fact, it extends to protecting the people whose words that channel broadcasts (and which words it profits from). And while it is the government’s responsibility to unearth groups attacking the media, the media houses themselves have to start investing in providing security to their staff. In such situations the organizations have to be mobilized to become co-producers of safety. Media organizations have to get insured against such threats, and begin to provide security to their staff onsite as well as offsite. The government can help by subsidizing the cost of these measures. Unfortunately, in saying this I have jumped ahead of another problem: the deadly pettiness that informs the ratings competition among media organizations. Such is the extent of this problem that, with the exception of Capital TV, the attack on Raza was blacked out by other channels. Will we, the working journalists, allow the small-minded nastiness of owners to continue to jeopardize our safety and security? I, for one, am not prepared to accept that. When the Express News van was attacked in Karachi, I wrote in this space that media houses need to close ranks and take concerted action. My point was that we must signal to these groups that if we are attacked, they will be blacked out, too. They thrive on the spectacle. The way to de-oxygenate them is to deprive them of that. It’s called shared pain. But that requires unity. That unity has been killed by the owners, not the working journalists. Before we hit out at the government, we need to kick our respective organizations into burying their grudges. Media bodies and organizations around the world have done much work on what measures can be taken to reduce the threat. We can share those best practices but only if we can get our organizations to stand as one to counter the threat. REFERENCE: When Words Can Kill by Ejaz Haider MAR 30 2014 http://newsweekpakistan.com/when-words-can-kill/

Attack on Pakistani Blogger, Journalist and Author Raza Rumi.

 

Attack on Pakistani Blogger, Journalist and... by SalimJanMazari

I have never been particularly enamored of Mir’s positions and style of journalism, but the principle is more important than the differences one might have with him. No matter what, you do not attack a journalist or anyone who uses nonviolent means for expression. Some critics will say that words are not without consequences. I remember, after the killing of Khalid Khawaja, when I spoke with his son, Osama, for a story for Newsweek, he told me in no uncertain words that he thought his father’s murder was instigated by Mir. When I called Mir to ask him about his alleged telephone conversation with the militant Usman Punjabi in which they discussed Khawaja, Mir denied the voice on the recording was his. Be that as it may, there are laws in this country to punish those whose words can incite violence. Even more importantly, when you try to assassinate someone, you close the door on assessment because then the principle takes over and one has to withhold objective assessment to uphold the principle. No one has the right to sentence someone to death without a trial. When states and societies begin killing critics extra-judicially, they go out of joint. That creates a bigger problem. And, finally, a word on the media houses: The trend toward being small-minded has been set by The Jang Group, where Mir works, and that template is followed by others. I was hoping that Express News and ARY would shame Jang’s Geo News by breaking that template and reporting the attempt on Mir. I was wrong. The pathology of small-mindedness continues even as working journalists continue to be attacked. Reference: (Talking) Heads on a Spike APR 20 2014 by Ejaz Haider http://newsweekpakistan.com/talking-heads-on-a-spike/

Attack on Hamid Mir or Freedom of Expression (Bay Laag 21 April 2014)

 

Attack on Hamid Mir or Freedom of Expression... by SalimJanMazari

It took two lines toward the end of the Inter-Services Public Relations’ press release for the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) to scurry for cover. The talk shows that followed the shot fired by the Army chief, Gen. Raheel Sharif, across the bow of the government saw the defense minister meekly trying to defend himself. Two other ministers could also be seen diving for the crawl trench after that somewhat ‘innocuous’ statement. While the government was recovering from the Army’s warning shot, Pakistan’s media behemoth, The Jang Group, decided, in the wake of a murder attempt on one of its prominent anchors, Hamid Mir, to go on an offensive against the Inter-Services Intelligence directorate and its director-general. The Geo News screen, the heavy artillery of the group, continued to pound the ISI for hours on April 19. It seemed that Pakistan’s biggest media group had decided to take on the powerful military and its premier intelligence agency where the government had tucked its tail and run. Initially, while Geo delivered its salvos, there was no return fire from the military. Then it started happening. This is how the story goes. The military used a three-pronged approach. It coopted rival channels and newspapers to fire back at Geo. Its supporters used Twitter and Facebook in its favor and against Jang/Geo, and the ISI sent an application to the Ministry of Defense seeking redress against the media group’s offensive, asking that Geo News be taken off air by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA). While the defense ministry processed the application, the other two approaches were kept hot by the military. There was an exponential increase in trolling against Geo on Twitter from patently fake accounts. Facebook pages kept pressing for banning the group and there was enhanced mass-email traffic against the group. The key strike point of all this activity was to prove that the group took its instructions from hostile external forces, has an agenda set by such forces, and has long been indulging in activities prejudicial to the national interest. Similar accusations were contained in the ISI application, which was routed through the defense ministry to PEMRA, which has since issued a show-cause notice to the group in keeping with the provisions of its regulatory charter. The ISI application, marked “Secret,” a copy of which is with this scribe, also stressed this point as the reason for banning the group. However, while the application asked that Geo be taken off air pending the completion of a PEMRA inquiry, that has not happened because PEMRA cannot, under its own rules, do that. Meanwhile, the Geo screen has mysteriously disappeared wholly or partially from some cantonments in the country. Reference: War of Narratives by Ejaz Haider APR 27 2014 http://newsweekpakistan.com/war-of-narratives/

Sacred Institutions & Existence of Others (Bay Laag – 22nd April 2014)

 

Sacred Institutions & Existence of Others (Bay... by SalimJanMazari

An inquiry from the defense ministry revealed that while there is no written directive to this end, officers and jawans in some places might have objected to the airing of an ‘anti-national’ channel. One doesn’t have to put an exclamation sign before the sentence to indicate what it means. The show-cause notice has its hearing on May 6, when it will be decided if the group will be penalized. The ISI application has called for the cancellation of the group’s license. At the time of writing, the situation seems grim and there is no indication that the military wants to take any prisoners. What does one make of this situation? Leaving aside the absurdities contained in the accusation that the group is acting on an anti-national agenda, this is yet another episode in the war in this country between the civilians and the military. In fact, the stress on national interest, if such a stress is to be taken seriously, indicates there might be different and competing conceptions of national interest. The point is that while the military might invoke a certain conception of national interest to bulldoze opposition–which it is known for doing–its desire to remain a dominant player is underpinned by a multiplicity of interests and not some grand, monolithic interest with a capital “I.” There is a cycle here: it remains dominant because it controls the narrative, but it must continue to control the narrative to remain dominant. Over many years there has also been an osmotic effect with this narrative seeping into other government organs and also sections of society. Ironically, while this narrative is ideological in nature, it is presented as a realist approach, which it is not. Two things have happened over the years. The military’s capacity for upfront action has reduced (though not fully dissipated) but its desire to retain its dominance has not diminished. Put another way, while the military will refrain from getting into the driver’s seat directly, it nonetheless wants the bus to remain on the course it has charted. The hammer has been replaced with a scalpel, though the hammer option hasn’t entirely gone away. Ten or perhaps 15 years ago, Geo would have faced something more than just a notice. But the military’s constraints in using the direct-fire option have not prevented it from using indirect fire and effectively. There’s good news in this and bad. The good news is that we do finally have other centers of power which cannot be bulldozed with impunity. Reference: War of Narratives by Ejaz Haider APR 27 2014 http://newsweekpakistan.com/war-of-narratives/

Ayesha Siddiqa, Ejaz Haider on Civil Military Relations in Pakistan with Nasim Zehra

 

Ayesha Siddiqa, Ejaz Haider on Civil Military... by SalimJanMazari

To soothe Mr Ayaz Amir, Mr Ejaz Haider quoted history: Excerpts of the conversation between Gen Musharraf and Lt Gen Aziz June 11, 1999 http://www.rediff.com/news/1999/jun/11talk.htm

Ayesha Siddiqa, Ejaz Haider on Civil Military Relations in Pakistan with Nasim Zehra

 

Ayesha Siddiqa, Ejaz Haider on Civil Military... by SalimJanMazari

The bad news is that we now have a military that is getting adept at playing in a new terrain and has learnt to be nimble-footed. General Sharif’s signal to the civilian government came just two days ahead of the Corps Commanders conference. It was meant to test the resolve of the civilian government ahead of that conference and it worked very well. On the Geo affair, the military has used the divisions within the media very effectively. In fact, rival channels and newspapers have played the national interest mantra so well that the Army doesn’t have to bang anyone on the head with it any more. This was easy to do. The undulated ground of Pakistani media has been created by Jang/Geo itself. For long, the group has bludgeoned its rivals. This is payback time for them and what better moment to do it than when the powerful military stands behind Geo’s rivals. If the military manages to get Geo’s license cancelled, these players, up until now no match to Geo, will have a field day. On the surface this looks like a good strategy. Except, it is not. If the military wins the round against Geo, rival channels will get bigger slices of the market for sure, but the freedom of expression they now have will be reduced to a sliver. They might still thrash everyone under the sun but the military will be off limits. In fact, the more everyone within the civilian enclave is beaten with a stick while the military remains shielded from any criticism, the higher it will sit atop Mount Olympus. Dragging it down and making it answerable to the people for its acts of commission and omission will become that much more difficult. For anyone interested in righting the civil-military imbalance in this country, that should be bad news. But market share and a sense of schadenfreude to see Jang/Geo bite the dust are likely to be very strong incentives for rival media houses to ignore the long-term consequences of playing ball with the military. Reference: War of Narratives by Ejaz Haider APR 27 2014 http://newsweekpakistan.com/war-of-narratives/

Media and Civil Military Imbalance in Pakistan by Dr Ayesha Siddiqa

For a state and society that has closely experienced military dictatorship, it appears odd to see it divided in its reaction to the failed assassination attempt on a prominent TV journalist, Hamid Mir of Geo News. Mir survived six bullets shot at him as he was on his way to his studio on April 19. The attack by gunmen on motorbikes was similar to the one on Raza Rumi in Lahore on March 28. The government's inability to assure security to Rumi has led to his exile from Pakistan. No longer is the targeting of journalists in Pakistan limited to the small reporter in the remote tribal area: it now happens to the big media-persons in the metros. While the police arrested militants of the banned group Lashkar-e-Jhanghvi for the attack on Rumi, there is no word about who tried to kill Mir. His brother Amir Mir immediately took to the TV cameras and said that the attack was carried out by Pakistan's all-powerful spy agency, the notorious Inter-Services Intelligence. Some argue that this incident isn't so unusual since journalists have been attacked several times before. Pakistan is considered one of the most dangerous places for journalists. According to Amnesty International, 34 journalists have been killed in the country since 2008. But strangely, there were many who did not approve of the decision by Mir's family to blame the ISI. Within hours, the ISI’s sympathisers came out in droves to lambast Geo. Several journalists reputed to be close to the military establishment launched a collective blitzkrieg against the Geo group accusing it of irresponsible behavior and endangering the country and its integrity. One anchor on a rival channel even called Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman, the owner of Geo, a petty shopkeeper trying to malign the ISI for his petty interests. Others who joined in included the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba’s Hafiz Saeed who declared this incident an Indian-American conspiracy. His network even took out processions in several cities in support of the army. Projects like Aman ki Asha run jointly in India and Pakistan by the Geo's parent organisation, the Jang group, and the Times of India are being treated as evidence of the Pakistani media group’s complicity in an alleged Indian plan to destroy the country. The main Jinnah Avenue in the capital Islamabad and many other places around the country were peppered with banners expressing people’s love for the army and the ISI. Some of these posters even said that anyone who opposed the ISI was a national traitor.

Ayesha Siddiqa, Ejaz Haider on Civil Military Relations in Pakistan with Nasim Zehra




Ayesha Siddiqa, Ejaz Haider on Civil Military... by SalimJanMazari


 The intriguing chessboard

 What’s intriguing about the entire case is the manner in which the chessboard is laid out. We see a situation where journalists considered staunchly right-wing are working for Geo and are critical of the ISI. Some of these are prominent names who have always supported the intelligence agency. In fact, many of them, including Hamid Mir himself, have produced several programmes accusing the previous Pakistan People’s Party-led government of trying to destroy the ISI. Clearly, the former loyalists are peeved with the agency’s attack on one of their own. Notwithstanding the shows that Hamid did on the Baluchistan insurgency or discussing Bangladesh, he was by no stretch of imagine ideologically poised against the military. One is even reminded of Mir publicly disclosing the Pakistani prime Minister Nawaz Shari’s off-the-record comment last September about the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh behaving like a "dehati aurat" (village woman). That embarassed both Sharif and Singh as they met in New York. Considering that Hamid Mir has a long experience as a journalist, many people believe that his remark, calculated to discomfit the politician, was proof of his friendly ties with the military. However, there is no reason to believe that he's lying about this suggestion that that it was the ISI that tried to bump him off. In one of his television programs before the attack, he even displayed the mobile number of one Captain Wajahat from the ISI who was threatening him. Thus far, there are two explanations for the incident. First, some believe that the attack could have been carried out by a faction within the ISI that was unhappy with the journalist's decision to highlight critical issues like the secessionist movement in Baluchistan. Others feel that the attack reflects the tension between the ISI and the army. In an interview to the BBC, Mir had talked about ISI within the ISI. Some sceptics argue that the Director General of the ISI, Zaheer-ul-Islam, is seeking an extension in service as he is due to retire soon, but some want to create conditions that present him as an incompetent chief. Most of all, this is a moment of crisis in a longstanding relationship between the military and the media. It is clear that the Jang group is taking on the military to re-negotiate this relationship. The media knows the military would be in a tight spot if the case goes to court. It may not be able to prove the ISI guilty, as had happened in the Saleem Shahzad murder case of 2011, but it would still be a matter of great embarrassment. It is possible that the Geo group has drawn its power and confidence from the incumbent Nawaz Sharif government, which is eager to cut the military down to its size.

Media Circus by Dr Ayesha Siddiqa Daily Dunya 24-4-2014

Ayesha Siddiqa, Ejaz Haider on Civil Military Relations in Pakistan with Nasim Zehra



Ayesha Siddiqa, Ejaz Haider on Civil Military... by SalimJanMazari


 Re-imaging the media-military relationship

 The media finds itself in the middle of Pakistan's two stakeholders – the army headquarters and the prime minister’s office. Using the media also gives both sides plausible deniability. The government is presently sitting quite relaxed watching the battle between Geo and the army. It understands that every embarrassing moment for the army contributes to its own long-term political mileage. The attacks on journalists are a moment for many in the media to rethink their relationship with the agencies. The intelligence has had a long-term relationship with the media which has even been used to negotiate amongst the three services of the armed forces. Given that Pakistan does not have freedom of information, journalists end up establishing links with intelligence. In the past decade of the war on terror, the military has been a critical supplier of information. There is a long queue of journalists who owe their existence to assistance from the ISI – travelling on military helicopters, landing in exotic areas of conflict and getting stories from inside jail cells. This is not about cultivating sources in the military but ultimately getting cultivated yourself. Intelligence agencies, especially the military ones, are deeply in the business of image management. They have not only managed to penetrate newsrooms but also think-tanks and NGOs. Even foreign academics are financed to write books that present a pro-military version. Most likely, the moment will pass. Most journalsits will continue to maintain their ties with the ISI and other agencies. But this may offer a tiny opportunity for one media group to show that it can take on the military and survive. The Geo group's owner, Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman, is trying to build bridges. He is a businessman and no ideologue. The military will try to teach the group some lesson. It has already secretly restricted Geo broadcasts in major cities and cantonments. However, there will be resistance to any move to gag the media. The battle for Pakistan’s future is underway, and you can watch it on TV. REFERENCE: The battle for Pakistan's future is playing out on TV The attack on journalist Hamid Mir presents a crucial opportunity for Pakistan's media to renegotiate its relationship with the military and intelligence agencies. Ayesha Siddiqua Saturday, May 3rd 2014 http://scroll.in/article/663426/The-battle-for-Pakistan's-future-is-playing-out-on-TV

Farooq Sattar's Credibility & Press Clippings.

ISLAMABAD: MQM presented a list of 500 individuals involved in destroying peace in Karachi to the National Assembly and blamed the government for the unrest in the city, Geo News reported. The debate on the situation in Karachi continued in the National Assembly and PML-N MNA, Shereen Arshad said that the government had failed to take action against those destroying peace in the city. MQM leader, Farooq Sattar said all those individuals on the list submitted by his party were criminals and terrorists and Karachi had been handed over to the underworld. He added that if the government was sincere then peace could be restored in Karachi within three days. According to Sattar 1,500 people had fallen victim to target killing in the metropolis since 2007and the government was involved in ruining the situation in the city and this was being done on purpose. The National Assembly session was adjourned till Monday evening. REFERENCE: MQM submits list of 500 miscreants in NA Updated 3 hours ago http://www.thenews.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=20132&title=MQM-submits-list-of-500-miscreants-in-NA 

Friday, August 05, 2011, Ramzan almubarak 04, 1432 A.H

http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/aug2011-daily/05-08-2011/index.html

Waseem Aftab (MQM) Contradicts Farooq Sattar (MQM) (Aaj Ki Khabar 18-7-2011)

URL: http://youtu.be/zVWEKVC1Cas

MQM on Sardar Akbar Bugti's Death in 2006.

LAHORE, Aug 28: The MQM is politically caught in a dilemma. It ideologically differs both with the government and the opposition but had to choose one of them. MQM organiser Dr Farooq Sattar stated this at a press conference here on Monday. Facing a barrage of questions about the party's responsibility (being a part of the government) in the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti, he said the MQM condemned it in unequivocal terms. The MQM is a party limited to urban Sindh as far as electoral politics is concerned. In these circumstances, it can hardly make independent choice in national politics. That is why, it had to choose between the government and the opposition, and it went for former. But this partnership does not exclude being ideologically different, he insisted. The party, he said, believed that it could better serve national interest by being part of the government as it could influence official decisions and fight for the rights of downtrodden from within the system. The party is certain that it could better fight for provincial autonomy and other irritants in national politics by being in the government and that is the only reason for it being part of official set-up. Facing more and more questions on the killing of Akbar Bugti, Dr Farooq did not go beyond already stated position of the party: The MQM condemns killing and stands for maximum provincial autonomy, which originally triggered the crisis between the government and Mr Bugti. About demands like the judicial inquiry into the killing, he said the party would measure its further response once the initial phase of grief was over. Earlier, Dr Farooq announced a 16-member organising committee representing some 14 districts of the Punjab. He said the number would be taken to 25 in near future. The members of the committee would organise the party in Punjab according to the principles of party chief Altaf Husain. REFERENCE: Farooq explains MQM dilemma By Our Staff Reporter August 29, 2006 Tuesday Sha'aban 4, 1427 http://archives.dawn.com/2006/08/29/nat8.htm

Farooq explains MQM dilemma

ISLAMABAD: The annual statements of assets and liabilities of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) MNAs show one member has business and assets abroad which he did not have in 2008, while a few have tripled their fortunes and some have lost wealth compared to 2008. Going through statements, the MQM’s Khawaja Sohail Mansoor has shown assets worth Rs115,312,138 in Pakistan and $790,000 abroad. His liabilities abroad amount to $805,000 while he has taken Rs2,396,212 as advance rent. In 2008 he had assets worth Rs133,416,739 and liabilities worth Rs5,231,109 as advance rent. He did not mention anything about his foreign business and foreign assets in his 2008 statement. Abdul Waseem has shown his assets at Rs9,145,000 with liabilities amounting to Rs239,091. He had Rs2,560,000 in 2008 with a loan amounting Rs318,000. He has tripled his wealth since 2008 according to his own statement. Dr Abdul Kadir Khanzada has assets worth Rs12,130,000. In 2008 his statement filed with the ECP stated that he had assets worth Rs6,410,000. In 2010 he had almost doubled the wealth, according to his own handwritten statement filed with the Election Commission of Pakistan. Khush Bakht Shujaat owns property and assets worth Rs17,599,189 with a loan liability of Rs8,896,470 in 2010. In 2008 she had assets worth Rs5,976,500 with loans at Rs14,104,856. She too has tripled her fortune in the last three years. Farhat Mohammad Khan has assets worth Rs2,326,798 in Pakistan and $1,250,000 outside Pakistan. He had property and business worth Rs873,553 in the country and $1,450,000 abroad in 2008. Haider Abbas Rizvi has material goods worth Rs19,551,622 plus foreign assets worth $570,000. In 2008 he showed to the ECP that his assets were worth Rs1,047,7891. His own handwritten statements says he has almost doubled his fortune since 2008. SA Iqbal Qadri has Rs6,485,814 property in his name at present while in 2008 he had worth Rs4,746,137 fortune. Sheikh Salah-ud-Din has declared that he has assets worth Rs10,326,188 while he owned Rs8,762,002 worth assets in 2008. Sufyan Yusuf has property worth Rs16,700,000 in his and his family’s name and had Rs34,330,000 assets in 2008. Nadeem Ehsan owns assets worth Rs4,640,000 in 2010 while in 2008 he had Rs3,333,000 fortune. Dr Muhammad Farooq Sattar has shown that he owns property worth Rs5,136,080 while previously he had Rs5,700,174 assets in 2008. Wasim Akhtar owns a property worth Rs91,630,000 in 2010 while previously in 2008 he had assets worth Rs84,142,503. Abdul Rashid Godil has assets worth Rs11,385,897 while he had filled the statement of his assets in 2008 which were worth Rs11,945,000. Dr Muhammad Ayub Sheikh has assets worth over Rs2,775,000 in 2010 while in 2008 he had Rs3,483,000 assets. Syed Asif Hasnain has shown his assets worth Rs8,900,000 while previously he owned Rs6,250,000 fortune. Iqbal Muhammad Ali Khan has Rs3,350,000 material wealth this year while previously in 2008 he had Rs3,931,000 assets. Sajid Ahmad of the MQM owns Rs12,541,497 property which was worth Rs11,200,000 in 2008. Syed Tayyab Hussain has worth Rs6,029,000 assets while in 2008 he had Rs5,797,500 assets with no car. Salah-ud-Din has fortune worth Rs3,700,000. For the year 2008 he had over Rs3 million worth. REFERENCE: Most MQM MPs are millionaires Usman Manzoor Saturday, April 23, 2011 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=5493&Cat=13 

MQM in 1999 on Punjab.

KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s parliamentary party leader, Dr Farooq Sattar, has claimed that various officials of Lahore Development Authority (LDA) are being deputed in Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) “under a planned conspiracy to make Karachi a colony of the Punjab.” In a statement issued on Thursday, he said that “the MQM will never allow Karachi to become a colony of Punjab despite all odds and hurdles.” He claimed that just after the imposition of Governor’s rule in Sindh, various officials of Punjab were being deputed to different organisations like KDA and KMC, “which is not hidden from anyone.” “This indicates that the only aim of the government is to impose Punjab’s policy as it wants to capture Karachi instead of restoring peace in the city,” he added. REFERENCE: Karachi being made Punjab’s colony: Farooq DAWN/The News International, KARACHI 08 January 1999, Friday, 19 Ramzan 1419 http://www.karachipage.com/news/Jan_99/010899.html 

Mr. Altaf Hussain & MQM on Punjab through a Letter to Sindhis????

"QUOTE"

ALTAF HUSSAIN’S OPEN LETTER TO THE MOST REVEREND SINDHI ELDERS, CARING MOTHERS, LOVING SISTERS AND EXUBERANT YOUTH http://www.mqm.org/English-News/Jan-2000/ah-letter-sindhi-260100.html 

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KARACHI, June 9 The Sindh home department has washed its hands of the material and record of the criminal cases withdrawn under the controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) saying that the files and summaries are no longer available. Well-placed sources told Dawn that the home secretary informed Sindh Prosecutor General Shahadat Awan through a letter on June 4 that his office could not produce the details of implementation of the criminal cases revived after the NRO was repealed on Dec 16, 2009 by the Supreme Court. On May 21, Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry had ordered the home secretary to provide a list of all criminal cases abolished under the NRO in Sindh. The order was issued following a meeting that was also attended by Justice Ghulam Rabbani and Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court Sarmad Jalal Osmany. The prosecutor general and the member inspection team of the SHC were also present. The meeting had discussed the progress of the implementation of the criminal cases revived after the NRO was repealed and the prosecutor general had assured the court that a complete report on the progress of all such cases would be provided as soon as possible.

However, the sources said, the home secretary through his letter categorically stated that no material evidence — ie files, applications, orders abd approved summaries of the criminal cases withdrawn under the controversial ordinance — was available with the home department. They said that only 32 files submitted by retired Justice Roshan Essani to the home department and a few summaries were submitted to the prosecutor general office for the perusal of the apex court. The sources said that the few summaries available in the home department apparently did not bear any clear orders of the competent authority. They said that the home department suggested to the prosecutor general that the officials posted at that time, including then home secretary retired Brigadier Ghulam Mohammed Mohtaram, then Advocate General Khawaja Naveed, then prosecutor general Rana Shamim Ahmed and the section officer concerned might be summoned on `court`s notice` to explain the whereabouts of the record pertaining to the withdrawal of the cases under the NRO.

The sources said that the home department also suggested that the then adviser on home affairs, Waseem Akhtar, could also be asked to assist the court “as the whole working about these cases was done while he was the home affair advisor”. “This office is handicapped to produce before the Honourable Supreme Court of Pakistan anything beyond what is being submitted,” the home secretary`s letter said. According to a statement of Law Minister Ayaz Soomro, as many as 3,576 cases were withdrawn under the NRO in Sindh, among them, are included corruption and criminal cases. The NRO beneficiaries include politicians, bureaucrats, industrialists and capitalists. The controversial ordinance was promulgated by retired General Pervez Musharraf in order to grant amnesty to all those against whom `politically-motivated` cases were registered between Jan 1, 1986 and Oct 12, 1999.

According to official sources, over 3,500 criminal cases were registered only against different leaders and activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas and Nawabshah. These cases were withdrawn as part of the reconciliation policy for which a review board was formed under the supervision of retired Justice Ghous Mohammad. The members of the board had included Law Secretary Ghulam Nabi Shah and the then AG Khwaja Naveed Ahmed. According to an official list, the highest number of cases were withdrawn against MQM chief Altaf Hussain — ie 72, including 31 on murder and 11 on attempt to murder charges. Dr Farooq Sattar, the MQM`s parliamentary leader in the National Assembly, occupied the second slot. A total of 23 cases were withdrawn against him, including five murder and four attempt to murder cases. The third biggest beneficiary appeared to be provincial minister Shoaib Bukhari of the MQM against whom 21 cases were withdrawn, including 16 on murder and attempt to murder charges. REFERENCE: Record of criminal cases withdrawn under NRO goes `missing` By Tahir Siddiqui http://archives.dawn.com/archives/157031 

Jang Group/The News "DENY" their own Report within a Day.

Saturday, July 16, 2011, Shaban-ul-Muazzam 13, 1432 A.H
http://jang.com.pk/jang/jul2011-daily/16-07-2011/u76197.htm Updated at: 1430

KARACHI: MQM Deputy Convener, Farooq Sattar said that the Rangers were deployed to Kati Pahari after the intervention of DG ISI, Geo News reported. Sattar said that the government and Interior Minister, Rehman Malik did not listen to the MQM and did not send the Rangers to Kati Pahari for four days. He said that MQM Chief Altaf Hussain contacted DG ISI, Lt General Shuja Pasha and informed him of the situation after which Rangers were sent to the area. The MQM Chief informed the ISI Chief that it had become essential to deploy forces in order to bring an end to the killing of innocent people and firing on mosques and imam bargahs. After the conversation took place, Rangers entered the area within 6 hours and cleared it. REFERENCE: Rangers deployed to Kati Pahari after DG ISI contacted: Sattar Updated 10 hours ago http://www.thenews.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=18807&title=Rangers-deployed-to-Kati-Pahari-after-DG-ISI-contacted%3A-Sattar

Rangers deployed to Kati Pahari after DG ISI contacted: MQM Deputy Convener Dr. Farooq Sattar (GEO TV/Express News 16 July 2011)

URL: http://youtu.be/GRew5F0yYJg

Altaf said June 26 should be observed as a day of condemnation each year to mark the dictatorial actions of the present government. “They have trampled democratic principles, ethics and norms in order to force the MQM, the third largest political party of the country, out of the elections.” He said in 1993, the then corps commander of Karachi Lt Gen Naseer Akhter had also tried to browbeat the MQM into accepting four seats only, but the MQM had refused to bow down and boycotted the elections. He appealed to journalists, media persons, human rights organisations and democracy loving people to raise their voice against the undemocratic actions of the government. “We are always criticised for supporting the government despite its betrayals. We supported the government not for our personal gains, but for the continuation of the democratic process and for establishing brotherly relations in the province.” He said the MQM had faced coercive power of the state in the past and ‘we are ready to test it even now’. But he warned that it was 2011 and not 1993. REFERENCE: Govt cheated us, its destruction starts from today: Altaf Fasahat Mohiuddin Monday, June 27, 2011 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=7024&Cat=13&dt=6/27/2011 

Saturday, July 16, 2011, Shaban-ul-Muazzam 13, 1432 A.H Updated at: 2340 | http://jang.com.pk/jang/jul2011-daily/16-07-2011/u76242.htm

Daily Express News 17 July 2011

http://www.express.com.pk/epaper/PoPupwindow.aspx?newsID=1101288426&Issue=NP_LHE&Date=20110717

"UNQUOTE"

KARACHI, May 25: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has expressed resentment over a press release issued on May 22 by the Mohajir Rabita Council (MRC) that “included a list of journalists described as chauvinistic, among other insults”. A statement issued by IFJ said: “It is alleged that the list included Zaffar Abbas (resident editor, Dawn, Islamabad), Mazhar Abbas (AFP bureau chief in Karachi), Azhar Abbas (DawnNews TV channel), Ayaz Amir (Dawn), Sajid Mir (anchor of TV One), Shaheen Sehbai (head of ARY One World), Dr Shahid Masood (anchor of GEO TV), Aneeq Ahmed (anchor of ARY One World), Afsar Imam (Aaj TV), Zarar Khan (Bureau chief, AP, Karachi), Zahid Hussain (chief reporter, GEO) and Irfan Siddiqui (columnist, Nawa-i-Waqt).” The statement condemned the MRC press release and called it “very disappointing”. “The last thing Pakistani journalists need is future generations of enemies being developed,” IFJ president Christopher Warren is quoted in the statement as saying. “Threats such as these lead to self-censorship among journalists, which of course is the goal of the intimidators, but which is also a condition that governments who are committed to press freedom cannot allow to develop,” Mr Warren said. “Journalists need to know that they will be protected from threats or attack, and the Pakistani government needs to step up and provide that protection,” he said. REFERENCE: IFJ enraged by MRC’s threat to journalists May 26, 2007 Saturday Jamadi-ul-Awwal 09, 1428 http://archives.dawn.com/dawnftp/72.249.57.55/dawnftp/2007/05/26/nat6.htm 

Ugly Racist Role of Muhammad Saleh Zaafir (Jang Group, GEO TV, The News) (1997)

URL: http://youtu.be/yuMWieusbZs

Muhammad Saleh Zaafir is a paid agent and he is paid through SECRET FUND.

"QUOTE"

"UNQUOTE"

Real Face of Jang Group's Saleh Zaafir:) the house in which he lives in Islamabad is meant for Government Officer, and Zaaifr was given the house of 4 Canal in his wife name who is a Teacher in Grade 17 but Youfus Raza Gillani (Zaafir is personal contact of Prime Minister) allowed Zaafir to live in House which is meant for Federal Secretary, the same Saleh Zaafir "day in day out lecture" everybody like his catamite boss Mir Shakil ur Rehman.

Pakistani Journalists Living in Government Houses - Part - 5 (Matiullah Jan Dawn News)


URL: http://youtu.be/mK1vC4d4Obk

KARACHI, May 24: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), in an appeal to all media groups, has called for immediate safety and security measures for journalists, including comprehensive life insurance, in view of increasing incidents of violence and threats against them. In a statement issued here on Thursday, the PFUJ expressed concern over what it termed record rise in incidents of violence against journalists and other media personnel in 2007. Terming unacceptable a recent press release issued by the Muhajir Rabita Council, which had named some journalists and columnists as chauvinists, the PFUJ urged the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) to use its influence on organisations like the MRC to withdraw the statement, as it would not only create a feeling of insecurity among media personnel but would also harm the democratic culture and freedom of expression in the country. REFERENCE: PFUJ demands adequate security May 25, 2007 Friday Jamadi-ul-Awwal 08, 1428 http://archives.dawn.com/dawnftp/72.249.57.55/dawnftp/2007/05/25/nat17.htm 

KARACHI, May 25: The All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) has urged the president and prime minister to take notice of recent statements of Mohajir Rabita Council (MRC) and MQM Rabita Committee against journalists and said that such deliberations may generate hatred against the press. In a statement signed by APNS secretary-general Mohammad Aslam Kazi, it was said that the society was concerned over the statements of the MRC and the Rabita Committee “denouncing journalists and analysts in the print and electronic media as being anti-Mohajir and biased chauvinists”. In the statement of the MRC, which was issued by four high ranking office-bearers, 13 leading journalists from the print and electronic media were named in a publicly announced hit list as ‘Mohajir dushman’ (enemies of Mohajirs), the APNS statement said, adding that the president of the MRC, Syed Safwanullah, a Muttahida Qaumi Movement minister in the federal government, upon contact had expressed his ignorance about the statement and promised a contradiction, which remained unrealised so far. According to the APNS, another statement issued in the names of two members of the MQM Rabita Committee, Mohammad Ashfaque and Javed Kazmi, had used almost the same expressions as the MRC and hurled similar charges. The APNS believed that the statements of both the MRC and the Rabita Committee against journalists “are likely to provoke hatred against the press in general and incite supporters of the two parties to the possible commission of an offence against those journalists named in the statements,” it said. It urged the MQM committee to formally denounce the inclusion of a hit list in the Rabita Council’s statement and to persuade them to withdraw the inflammatory declaration and also re-examine the statements issued by two of its members, and withdraw it as well in the interest of better relations between political parties and the press. REFERENCE: APNS assails statements of MRC against journalists May 26, 2007 Saturday Jamadi-ul-Awwal 09, 1428 http://archives.dawn.com/dawnftp/72.249.57.55/dawnftp/2007/05/26/nat5.htm 

Karachi --- The Mohajir Rabita Council has condemned death threats to some Karachi-based journalists, and described it as yet another conspiracy to malign Mohajirs. It demanded a high level inquiry into the matter and punishment to the culprits. In a statement faxed to Dawn by its press secretary Minhajul Arfeen, MRC's Senior Vice-President Yaqoob Bandhani, General Secretary Tasadduq Hussain, Finance Secretary Ms Raeesa Mohani and members of the working committee claimed that they had come to know from the print and electronic media that some unidentified people had dropped envelopes containing bullets and threatening letters in the vehicles of three journalists. It may be pointed out that cars of the two reporters and photographer were parked outside the Karachi Press Club when the envelops were discovered. Each envelope contained only one bullet and no threatening letter. The media also reported accordingly. Demanding a high level inquiry into what it described as a deplorable threat to journalists, the MRC press release maintained that the organisation comprised elders who had played a pivotal role in the creation of Pakistan and had always, through peaceful means, struggled for the rights of Mohajirs. It maintained that after the May 12 mayhem in the city, conspirators had expedited their drive against Mohajirs, and claimed that the envelopes with bullet and threatening letters were part of that conspiracy. REFERENCE: Mohajir community denies allegations that they threatened journalists Dawn Thursday, May 31, 2007 Asia Media PAKISTAN: Threats to journalists termed 'conspiracy against Mohajirs' http://www.international.ucla.edu/asia/news/article.asp?parentid=71119 

Karachi --- The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has expressed resentment over a press release issued on May 22 by the Mohajir Rabita Council (MRC) that "included a list of journalists described as chauvinistic, among other insults".

A statement issued by IFJ said: "It is alleged that the list included Zaffar Abbas (resident editor, Dawn, Islamabad), Mazhar Abbas (AFP bureau chief in Karachi), Azhar Abbas (DawnNews TV channel), Ayaz Amir (Dawn), Sajid Mir (anchor of TV One), Shaheen Sehbai (head of ARY One World), Dr Shahid Masood (anchor of GEO TV), Aneeq Ahmed (anchor of ARY One World), Afsar Imam (Aaj TV), Zarar Khan (Bureau chief, AP, Karachi), Zahid Hussain (chief reporter, GEO) and Irfan Siddiqui (columnist, Nawa-i-Waqt)."

The statement condemned the MRC press release and called it "very disappointing". "The last thing Pakistani journalists need is future generations of enemies being developed," IFJ president Christopher Warren is quoted in the statement as saying. "Threats such as these lead to self-censorship among journalists, which of course is the goal of the intimidators, but which is also a condition that governments who are committed to press freedom cannot allow to develop," Mr Warren said. "Journalists need to know that they will be protected from threats or attack, and the Pakistani government needs to step up and provide that protection," he said.

APNS assails statements of MRC against journalists

Karachi --- The All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) has urged the president and prime minister to take notice of recent statements of Mohajir Rabita Council (MRC) and MQM Rabita Committee against journalists and said that such deliberations may generate hatred against the press. In a statement signed by APNS secretary-general Mohammad Aslam Kazi, it was said that the society was concerned over the statements of the MRC and the Rabita Committee “denouncing journalists and analysts in the print and electronic media as being anti-Mohajir and biased chauvinists”. In the statement of the MRC, which was issued by four high ranking office-bearers, 13 leading journalists from the print and electronic media were named in a publicly announced hit list as ‘Mohajir dushman' (enemies of Mohajirs), the APNS statement said, adding that the president of the MRC, Syed Safwanullah, a Muttahida Qaumi Movement minister in the federal government, upon contact had expressed his ignorance about the statement and promised a contradiction, which remained unrealised so far. According to the APNS, another statement issued in the names of two members of the MQM Rabita Committee, Mohammad Ashfaque and Javed Kazmi, had used almost the same expressions as the MRC and hurled similar charges. The APNS believed that the statements of both the MRC and the Rabita Committee against journalists “are likely to provoke hatred against the press in general and incite supporters of the two parties to the possible commission of an offence against those journalists named in the statements,” it said. It urged the MQM committee to formally denounce the inclusion of a hit list in the Rabita Council's statement and to persuade them to withdraw the inflammatory declaration and also re-examine the statements issued by two of its members, and withdraw it as well in the interest of better relations between political parties and the press. REFERENCE: Asia Media Date Posted: 5/25/2007 Council releases a list of journalists deemed subversive to society Dawn Friday, May 25, 2007 PAKISTAN: IFJ enraged by MRC's threat to journalists http://www.international.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=70724 

KARACHI, May 29: In what appears to be a direct death threat, bullets were found on Tuesday night in the cars of three senior journalists parked outside the Karachi Press Club. The cars belonged to secretary-general of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists Mazhar Abbas, Zarar Khan and photojournalist Asif Hussain. When the journalists opened their vehicles, each of them found a bullet wrapped in a brown paper envelope. It may be pointed out that names of Mazhar Abbas and Zarar Khan had appeared in a statement of the Mohajir Rabita Council in which they were described as anti-Mohajir chauvanists. The journalists immediately informed Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan and IG Police Azhar A. Farooqi. An FIR was lodged with the police. The Karachi Union of Journalists has strongly condemned death threats to the journalists and demanded that the culprits be brought to justice. It also demanded that the organisations whose names have appeared in this connection must publicly denounce and disassociate itself from such terrorist activities. REFERENCE Journalists get death threats By Our Staff Reporter May 30, 2007 Wednesday Jamadi-ul-Awwal 13, 1428 http://archives.dawn.com/dawnftp/72.249.57.55/dawnftp/2007/05/30/nat4.htm 

LAHORE, May 30: The Punjab Union of Journalists on Wednesday staged a demonstration in front of the Lahore Press Club to condemn death threats to three senior Karachi journalists. A large number of city journalists carrying placards and banners urged the government to protect journalists. They also raised slogans against the MQM and the government. The journalists given death threats included Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists Secretary General Mazhar Abbas, Zarar Khan and Asif Hussain. Speaking on the occasion, PUJ President Arif Hameed Bhatti and General Secretary Amer Raza urged the government to take stern action against the MQM, and ban it. It should also expose those disturbing peace in Karachi, they said. They also urged the Punjab government to ban the entry of the members of the party into Punjab.

They said the union would give a call for a hunger strike if the government failed to protect journalists who would continue to perform their duty without caring for the consequences. Meanwhile, in a statement the South Asia Media Commission (SAMC) expressed its anger over threats to the life and property of journalists in Karachi and Peshawar given by, what it said, different extremist organizations. It urged the Pakistani authorities to protect the journalists. The statement issued by SAMC Regional Coordinator Husain Naqi here said the life threats to the three Karachi journalists came a week after a shadowy organization, The Mohajir Rabita Council with links to the MQM, a party that supports military ruler President Pervez Musharraf, issued a list of a dozen journalists, declaring them as enemies, it said.

It said on May 25 gunmen attacked the Peshawar home of Daily Times cartoonist Muhammad Zahoor at around 2am. Four-time winner of the All Pakistan Newspaper Society’s annual best cartoonist award, Zahoor had drawn many cartoons on the Supreme Court chief justice’s dismissal in recent weeks. The home of Nasrullah Afridi, the Urdu language daily Mashriq in the Khyber Agency section of the Tribal Areas, came under grenade attack after death threats made against him five days earlier by the head of Lashkar-i-Islam. “We believe it is a very serious threat to working journalists. It is an attempt to muzzle the free media. The government should arrest those behind the threats,” SAMC Chairperson N Ram and General Secretary Najam Sethi said. They said journalists needed to know that they would be protected from threats or attack. “If the government fails to do so, we will be justified in believing that there is complicity of the government in the current campaign to harass journalists,” they said. They said the Muhajir Rabita Council had issued a threatening statement on May 22 with a list of some 20 journalists it described as chauvinist and hostile to their movement. REFERENCE: PUJ rally condemns threats to journalists By our Staff Reporter May 31, 2007 Thursday Jamadi-ul-Awwal 14, 1428 http://archives.dawn.com/dawnftp/72.249.57.55/dawnftp/2007/05/31/nat45.htm 

HYDERABAD, May 30: Journalists staged protest demonstrations and held rallies in different parts of Sindh on Wednesday against the issuance of life threats to PFUJ secretary-general Mazhar Abbas, AP correspondent Zarar Khan and photographer Asif Hussain, and attack on Shakeel Turrabi, Editor-in-Chief, Sana News. Members of the press club and Hyderabad Union of Journalists demonstrated against the harassment of journalists by ‘terrorists.’ President Hyderabad Press Club Shahid Shaikh said this was only a symbolic protest demonstration but if such threats were not stopped media people will resort to direct action. NAWABSHAH: Journalists of Nawabshah staged demonstration outside the press club. They carried placards and raised slogans in favour of press freedom. Speaking on the occasion, Mohammad Anwar Shaikh said that the government was claiming that press and media were free but threats were being issued to journalists. The members condemned such threats. JACOBABAD: Journalists of Jacobabad took out a rally led by Nazar Abbas Shah, president district union of journalists, while activists of political parties and social organisations also participated in it. Protesters staged a sit-in near the DCO Chowk. REFERENCE: Threats to journalists condemned May 30, 2007 Wednesday Jamadi-ul-Awwal 13, 1428 http://archives.dawn.com/dawnftp/72.249.57.55/dawnftp/2007/05/31/nat31.htm 

KARACHI, May 29: In what appears to be a direct death threat, bullets were found on Tuesday night in the cars of three senior journalists parked outside the Karachi Press Club. The cars belonged to secretary-general of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists Mazhar Abbas, Zarar Khan and photojournalist Asif Hussain. When the journalists opened their vehicles, each of them found a bullet wrapped in a brown paper envelope. It may be pointed out that names of Mazhar Abbas and Zarar Khan had appeared in a statement of the Mohajir Rabita Council in which they were described as anti-Mohajir chauvanists. The journalists immediately informed Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan and IG Police Azhar A. Farooqi. An FIR was lodged with the police. The Karachi Union of Journalists has strongly condemned death threats to the journalists and demanded that the culprits be brought to justice. It also demanded that the organisations whose names have appeared in this connection must publicly denounce and disassociate itself from such terrorist activities. REFERENCE: Dawn Report Journalists get death threats By Our Staff Reporter May 30, 2007 Wednesday Jamadi-ul-Awwal 13, 1428 http://archives.dawn.com/dawnftp/72.249.57.55/dawnftp/2007/05/30/nat4.htm