Attempts to suppress media: RIUJ to hold ‘Freedom of Press Rally’ on Sept 12

ISLAMABAD: Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) has announced to hold 'Freedom of Press Rally' to protest against the attempts to suppress media and freedom of expression on September 12.

A joint session of the Parliament is scheduled to be held on September 13, hence, it was decided to continue the sit-in during President Dr Arif Alvi's address to the joint sitting of the Parliament. Prominent anchorpersons will hold talk shows from the sit-in throughout the night. The symbolic sit-in will end after the president's address on September 13.

It was decided in an emergency meeting of the RIUJ which was held here on Monday under the chairmanship of its President Amir Sajjad Syed. The meeting decided that the 'Freedom of Press Rally', will commence from National Press Club Islamabad on September 12 at 4:00 pm and culminate in front of the Parliament House. After reaching at its end point, the rally will turn into a 24-hour sit-in. Political and religious parties, lawyers, students and business bodies will also participate in the sit-in.

The meeting discussed in detail the forced dismissals of journalists from their jobs, non-payment of their salaries and dues, pay cuts, rising incidents of violence and kidnapping of journalists, ban on journalists and their programmes and draconian law of Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA).

Chairman Press Freedom Action Committee Afzal Butt, Secretary RIUJ Tariq Ali Virk, Member FEC M. Shafique Raja, President National Press Club (NPC) Shakeel Anjum, Secretary NPC Anwar Raza, Asghar Chaudhry, executive members Izhar Khan Niazi, Rubina Shaheen, Farhat Abbasi, Afshan Qureshi, senior journalist Asif Bashir Chaudhry, Nayyar Ali, Rana Zahid, Rana Kausar, Jaffar Balti and a large number of other journalists also attended the RIUJ meeting.