Newsmen hold protest against false cases

SUKKUR: Newsmen from the Sukkur Division on Tuesday staged a sit-in in front of AIGP Office Sukkur against the registration of false cases against journalists.

During the protest at the Additional IGP Sukkur's office, they displayed placards and staged a sit-in and chanted slogans demanding "withdrawal of false FIRs and removal of SSP Sukkur." The demonstration was staged at the call of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists on Tuesday against the registration of false cases against journalists Imdad Phulpoto, Sahil Jogi, KB Sheikh and others.

A large number of journalists, including Manzoor Solangi from Karachi, Imdad Soomro, Advocate Jamal Ahmed and Rizwan Qadri of Pakistan Sunni Tehreek, were present, besides PFUJ leaders from Karachi, Hyderabad, Khairpur, Naushahrofero, Ghotki, Larkana and other cities attended the rally.

Criticising police brutality, they cited the report of DIG Training Naeem Sheikh, who accused SSP Sukkur Irfan Sammo of involvement in the custodial murder of Faisalabad-based lawyer Aijaz Arain in a private torture cell. They claimed that SSP Sammo was trying to suppress and victimise the independent journalists by registering FIRs against Imdad Phulpoto, Sahil Jogi, KB Sheikh and others.

Demanding disposal of the false FIRs, they warned to conduct province-wide protests and stage sit-ins at the IGP office, Sindh Assembly and the National Assembly. They also said they would boycott the PDM's public rally scheduled for Dec 27th in Larkana if SSP Sukkur and other officials responsible for registering fake cases against them were not removed. They also demanded a high-level inquiry into the whole affair. Later, they ended their protest following assurances by Addl IGP Sukkur.