Bureau Chief , Dawn TV, Daily Dawn
Peshawar: A protest demonstration was organized in front of Peshawar Press Club by the Khyber Union of Journalists (KHUJ), in which the journalist community strongly rejected the case filed against senior journalist Irfan Khan under the PECA Act and termed it a ban on freedom of the press.
Dozens of journalists, including Khyber Union of Journalists President Kashifuddin Syed, Peshawar Press Club President M Riaz, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ Workers President Shamim Shahid, and former KHUJ President Nasir Hussain, participated in the protest. A large number of journalists were present on the occasion and raised slogans in favor of freedom of the press.
Addressing the protest, Khyber Union of Journalists President Kashifuddin Syed said that the PECA Act (PECA) is a black law that has been rejected by the journalist community in the past, and the registration of cases under it is unacceptable in any case. He said that the case registered against Irrfan Khan should be withdrawn immediately; otherwise, this act will be considered an open attempt to suppress journalism. The survival of democracy in Pakistan is only conditional on free media and free journalism. If an attempt is made to suppress the voice of journalists, it will not only be against the constitution, but also the fundamental right of the people to information will be curtailed. During the protest, it was demanded that the PECA Act be completely abolished and that the cases registered against journalists should be dropped. The protest warned the government that if the case against Irrfan Khan was not withdrawn, the scope of the protest would be expanded, and the next big protest would be held in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.
Leave a Reply