The blood of journalists and lawyers staining the ground became the worst example ever of police brutality in the country's capital
By Naveed Ahmad
http://jang.com.pk/thenews/oct2007-weekly/nos-07-10-2007/dia.htm#5
September 29 will be remembered as a day when the authorities opted for mindless violence against protesting lawyers and other members of civil society as General Musharraf's loyalists drove towards the Election Commission.
Upset by the live coverage of events, the print and electronic media-persons were accorded special treatment starting with verbal assaults to teargas shelling and baton attack on their heads. The cables of TV cameras were snapped to deny the people second-by-second coverage of a gory drama happening on the Constitution Avenue, all in the name of gradual transition to democracy.
PEMRA ensured that the news channels remain blacked out for telephonic beepers of their correspondents from the scene.
This unprecedented lawlessness against lawyers as well as media persons was being unleashed on the direct instructions of Inspector General of Police Syed Marvat Shah. Efficient assistance came from DIG (operations) Shahid Nadeem Baloch but he escaped the camera lens. The entire capital administration was being assisted by brutally notorious contingents of the Punjab Police besides hundreds of plain-clothed men for security and intelligence agencies.
Ironically, the police rampage coincided with the presence of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, his cabinet members and the Punjab chief minister inside the Election Commission for scrutiny of presidential candidates nomination papers.
The government might cast doubt over the lawyers struggle for the restoration of the rule of law, but there can be no defence for thrashing journalists and blacking out the news coverage.
The journalist fraternity was being punished for exposing the farce that this exercise in 'self-righteousness' by a general in uniform was not resulting through much-trumpeted transition of power.
As unquestioned leaders of opportunists -- Benazir Bhutto and Fazlur Rahman -- continue to roll the dice with the devil and pray alongside the faithful, the resignations from the APDM platform deprive the presidential election of any moral basis whatsoever.
In an exceptionally pro-active move on Sunday, Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry issued notices to the interior secretary, Punjab additional advocate general, IG police, chief commissioner, deputy commissioner and senior superintendent of police, Islamabad, to appear before court in connection with police violence against lawyers, the media and representatives of human rights and civil society organisations.
The Supreme court also directed private TV channels, including Geo, ARY and Aaj, to produce recordings of the incidents, especially any occurrences of violence, that were telecast live on these channels.
Appearing before Chief Justice of Supreme Court Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on his judicial notice, the top officials of two Islamabad hospitals -- PIMS and Poly Clinic -- admitted that the intelligence agencies have been harassing their staff, forcing them not only to amend the medical record of the hospitalised journalists and lawyers but also to prematurely discharge ones with serious injuries.
None other than the chief justice had to order re-hospitalisation of seriously injured lawyers and journalists and the expenses to be paid by the government.
The chief justice had to force his orders on a reluctant interior secretary (a former IG police), Syed Kamal Shah, to issue suspension orders of recently promoted and appointed IG Marvat Shah. The SSP and deputy commissioner too received suspension orders while the chief commissioner could miraculously escape any reprimand.
Though the hearing has been adjourned with scores of issues to be settled in the Supreme Court on October 23, the civil society is in high spirits despite the most depressing times in recent history. The media organisations of TV channel and newspaper owners, editors and journalists have all expressed unprecedented unison against the last Saturday's state terrorism.
Though September 29 clearly reminded the journalist fraternity of General Zia's repressive martial law days, General Musharraf cannot put the genie back into the bottle. The electronic and print media freedom cannot be curtailed anymore as there is immense public appetite for live and objective real-time coverage of unfolding stories.
Email: navid.rana@gmail.com
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