tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21995284.post3952890976578736766..comments2023-10-25T12:49:50.074+01:00Comments on The Old Socialist Unity Blog - we have moved: Pakistan - the mass movement spreadsANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05901425044840795347noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21995284.post-9872781029419865082007-05-26T16:19:00.000+01:002007-05-26T16:19:00.000+01:00Reporters Without Borders have voiced serious conc...Reporters Without Borders have voiced serious concern over threats issued to Pakistani reporters covering the causes and consequences of the 12 May tragedy in Karachi. <BR/><BR/>http://paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?179108<BR/><BR/>Threatening media personnel is not an aberration for MQM. http://tinyurl.com/343qeg<BR/><BR/>It is a persistence posture of intimidation evident for the past five years that MQM<BR/>is a coalition partner in Sind province and at the centre. <BR/><BR/>One example is Ban on The STAR. Published by the DAWN Group of Newspapers, the STAR, prior to suspending publication, in 2006, was Karachi’s leading evening<BR/>newspaper.<BR/><BR/>In February 2005, the MQM took exception to a story in the paper that raised questions about the death in custody of a suspect. Alleging defamation, the MQM instituted criminal proceedings against the STAR, despite the fact that lawyers acting on behalf of the STAR, offered as per the policy of the DAWN Group to publish their version of the said impugned article. The Court proceedings are still subjudice.<BR/><BR/>The efforts to intimidate the STAR peaked when the newspaper raises issues regarding the death in police custody of a suspect. The report is made the basis of criminal proceedings against the newspaper under the Defamation Ordinance 2002, and the matter is still subjudice.<BR/><BR/>How journalists are in effect paralyzed from performing their tasks is clear from the fact that<BR/>under the Defamation Ordinance, the presence of all cited persons is required at every court hearing. They must also seek the court’s permission every time they leave the city or the country; the reporter involved is restrained from<BR/>travelling on assignment; this constitutes harassment even before the verdict of whether defamation actually took place or not has been given.<BR/><BR/>See a summary of similar heavy-handed actions meted out by MQM to influence media by coercion:<BR/><BR/>http://dawn.com/events/appendix/appendixa.pdfAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com