How MQM terrorized journalists in Karachi
MQM is the biggest threat of free media in Pakistan and the way they terrorized media in Karachi is an open secret and during their recent terrorism following the un- called for statement of Mr Zulfiqar Mirza they had not allowed all TV channels to air other point of view and instructed even the sequence and display of the news and footage. Pakistan Army Chief Justice and journalists community have to take notice of this situation and record the statements of media managers in confidence.
PAKISTAN: Threats to journalists termed 'conspiracy against Mohajirs'
PAKISTAN: Threats to journalists termed 'conspiracy against Mohajirs', UCLA Asia Institute
Mohajir community denies allegations that they threatened journalists
Dawn Thursday, May 31, 2007
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. AsiaMedia
Council releases a list of journalists deemed subversive to society
Dawn Friday, May 25, 2007
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.
AsiaMedia Date Posted: 5/25/2007
Journalists get death threats May 30, 2007 Wednesday Jamadi-ul-Awwal 13, 1428
Journalists get death threats -DAWN - National; May 30, 2007
By Our Staff Reporter
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.
PUJ rally condemns threats to journalists May 31, 2007 Thursday Jamadi-ul-Awwal 14, 1428
PUJ rally condemns threats to journalists -DAWN - National; May 31, 2007 By our Staff Reporter
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.
Threats to journalists condemned May 30, 2007 Wednesday Jamadi-ul-Awwal 13, 1428
Threats to journalists condemned -DAWN - National; May 31, 2007
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.
Dawn Report Journalists get death threats By Our Staff Reporter May 30, 2007 Wednesday Jamadi-ul-Awwal 13, 1428
Journalists get death threats -DAWN - National; May 30, 2007
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.
This little baby is scared from MQM murderer goons 
to
mate especially on independence day of Pakistan
