SC seeks record of journalists’ harassment

SC seeks record of journalists’ harassment

By Muhammad Qasim ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday sought the complete record of incidents of harassment and torture of journalists across the country and directed the counsel for journalists to submit the same to the apex court before the next date of hearing. The two-member bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar and Justice Falak Sher, was hearing a suo moto case initiated on the application of office-bearers of the Press Association of Supreme Court (PAS) about the harassment and intimidation of journalists. Counsel for the PAS Ahmer Bilal Sufi advocate told the bench that incidents of journalists' torture have been reported across the country and not only in Karachi. He said similar incidents were reported in the federal capital and Fata, too, and mentioned the murder of a senior journalist, Malik Ismail, in a congested area of Islamabad. He also submitted that even a year after the murder no headway has been made in Ismail's case. He maintained the cases of torture and harassment of journalists were taken for granted and a number of registered cases have been dumped because of laxity of the authorities concerned. Referring to the recent threats given to an Islamabad-based senior journalist, Shakil Turabi, he said no progress has been made in the case despite the fact that a proper course of action, the registration of FIR, was followed. The counsel told the bench that no other cases of similar nature -- harassment and intimidation of journalists -- were pending in any of the high courts. On previous hearing, June 4, the bench had asked the counsel to confirm tendency of similar cases in the high courts to take up the issue in the light of progress made in those pending petitions. Ikram Chaudhry, counsel for Shakil Turabi, requested the bench to become a party in the case; however, he was asked to file a formal petition that will be clubbed with the suo moto case. The bench, directing the petitioner to file the complete record of the incidents in form of a petition, adjourned the case sine die.

Back | Send this story to Friend | Print Version Source: Daily The News Date: 12.06.2007 Tuesday www.thenews.jang.com.pk