QUETTA

Hospital sources said on Wednesday that the three women and two men had died on the spot of multiple bullet wounds and one of the woman was killed seven month pregnant.

All the bodies were found at a picket of the Frontier Corps surrounded by barbed wires.

According to officials who tried to reconstruct the scene, the suspects had gone to the checkpoint for shelter or to surrender
when they saw a heavy contingent of law enforcement personnel who had rushed to Killi Khezi after receiving a wireless message from a police post on the Airport Road about the entry into the area of a vehicle carrying suspected foreigners.

According to sources, they had hired the vehicle in Kuchlak, for coming to Quetta with the help of two local people. They had crossed two police posts, but policemen deployed at the third one told them to accompany them to the police station near the airport. While on way to the police station, the local men and the driver forcibly offloaded a policeman accompanying them and sped away. After some time, the driver, Ataullah, stopped the vehicle and refused to take them to Quetta. The Chechens stepped off the vehicle, offered prayers in a mosque in Killi Khezi and asked local people to guide them to an address.But all of a sudden they found themselves surrounded by police and Frontier Corps personnel.The frightened Chechens moved to the nearby FC post, apparently to surrender or take refuge.” They raised their hands as a gesture of surrender but law enforcement personnel opened indiscriminate fire at them,” witness Irfan Khan alleged.

A private TV channel telecast the shooting by security personnel and an injured woman waving her hand and pleading with them to stop firing.

“An investigation is under way on the basis of information being collected from some mobile phones and a diary,” Quetta police chief Daud Junejo told Dawn on Wednesday night. He insisted that the Chechens were armed and had hurled a grenade at the checkpost.However, no other official of the security agencies involved in the firing was ready to comment on the incident.

People who witnessed the action of law enforcement personnel expressed doubts about the official claims, saying that no
suicide vests, grenades or weapons were found from the bodies. Their hands and feet were tied with ropes. They were seems innocent. They begged their lives.

“I did not see any suicide jacket or bomb strapped to the bodies,” a senior journalist who was at the place when the incident took place told .

A senior police officer who had searched the bodies also said not even a knife had been found.

“Only five passports were found in their pockets,” he added.

The statements of police and FC officials were contradictory, too. Police said the Chechens were carrying suicide jackets, while FC officials claimed that they had grenades in their hands. Another question being raised here is why the suspects were not arrested when they were injured.

“They could have been arrested alive because they were unarmed,” an officer of a law enforcement agency said.

He said the suspects could have provided useful information. The officer said he believed that security personnel opened fire out of a fear that the suspects might have been wearing suicide vests. The bodies were lying in the morgue of the Bolan Medical Complex after postmortem.

Sources said the Chechens had not crossed into Pakistan from Afghanistan in the recent past and it appeared that they had come to Kuchlak from North Waziristan.

Their passports had expired two years ago, an official said.

Amanullah Kasi adds: The Balochistan National Party-M, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, both factions of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam and Jamaat-i-Islami have called for an impartial investigation into the incident.Leaders of the parties said there were contradictions in the statements of security forces. They claimed that they had information about the arrival of terrorists intending to carry out suicide attacks, but failed to explain how the suspects had managed to reach Kuchlak, near the provincial capital.

The leaders said all vehicles were searched at the Baleli checkpoint by FC, police and Levies personnel, but the Chechens appeared to have dodged them.

They said that if the security forces’ version of the incident had been correct, the suicide vests would have blown up when police and FC personnel opened fire on the ‘terrorists’.

Residents of Kharotabad said to media that police had made illegal demands on the foreigners before carrying out the “fake encounter”.

The residents were flanked by Provincial Joint Secretary Tehrik-e-Insaaf Saifur Rehman.

“The Chechen nationals were unarmed and possessed no explosive material. They were carrying prayer books, shampoos and some cloths,” the residents said.

The postmortem report belies Quetta police’s claim that all the five foreigners, two men and three women, had died in an explosion. A medico-legal officer of the BMC Teaching Hospital said that as many as 21 bullets were found from the bodies of the deceased.

Police surgeon Dr Baqar Shah, who conducted autopsies on the five bodies, said one of the deceased women was seven moths pregnant. “Body of the 25 to 30-year-old woman bore multiple marks of wounds. We have recovered four bullets from her body that caused her instant death,” he said, adding there was no splinter wound on her body. However, the surgeon added that the other four bodies bore multiple marks of splinter wounds.

Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani on Friday ordered a judicial inquiry into the killing of the five Chechens, who possessed Russian passports.

However, the chief secretary advised that a judicial probe by a high court judge would cover all the aspects of the foreigner’s deaths in Quetta. The Balochistan governor has also presented a similar suggestion.

Under the Balochistan Tribunals Inquiry Ordinance 1969, Raisani has made a request to the chief justice of the Balochistan High Court for assigning the task of the judicial inquiry to a senior judge.

Human rights groups hailed the chief minister’s decision to go for a judicial probe. Human right activists questioned police and others that how come a pregnant woman, in advanced stage of pregnancy, can accompany terrorists or was involved in a terror act.

Hospital sources said on Wednesday that the three women and two men had died on the spot of multiple bullet wounds.

All the bodies were found at a picket of the Frontier Corps surrounded by barbed wires.

According to officials who tried to reconstruct the scene, the suspects had gone to the checkpoint for shelter or to surrender
when they saw a heavy contingent of law enforcement personnel who had rushed to Killi Khezi after receiving a wireless message from a police post on the Airport Road about the entry into the area of a vehicle carrying suspected foreigners.

According to sources, they had hired the vehicle in Kuchlak, for coming to Quetta with the help of two local people. They had crossed two police posts, but policemen deployed at the third one told them to accompany them to the police station near the airport. While on way to the police station, the local men and the driver forcibly offloaded a policeman accompanying them and sped away. After some time, the driver, Ataullah, stopped the vehicle and refused to take them to Quetta. The Chechens stepped off the vehicle, offered prayers in a mosque in Killi Khezi and asked local people to guide them to an address.But all of a sudden they found themselves surrounded by police and Frontier Corps personnel.The frightened Chechens moved to the nearby FC post, apparently to surrender or take refuge.” They raised their hands as a gesture of surrender but law enforcement personnel opened indiscriminate fire at them,” witness Irfan Khan alleged.

A private TV channel telecast the shooting by security personnel and an injured woman waving her hand and pleading with them to stop firing.

“An investigation is under way on the basis of information being collected from some mobile phones and a diary,” Quetta police chief Daud Junejo told Dawn on Wednesday night. He insisted that the Chechens were armed and had hurled a grenade at the checkpost.However, no other official of the security agencies involved in the firing was ready to comment on the incident.

People who witnessed the action of law enforcement personnel expressed doubts about the official claims, saying that no
suicide vests, grenades or weapons were found from the bodies. Their hands and feet were tied with ropes. They were seems innocent. They begged their lives.

“I did not see any suicide jacket or bomb strapped to the bodies,” a senior journalist who was at the place when the incident took place told Dawn.

A senior police officer who had searched the bodies also said not even a knife had been found.

“Only five passports were found in their pockets,” he added.

The statements of police and FC officials were contradictory, too. Police said the Chechens were carrying suicide jackets, while FC officials claimed that they had grenades in their hands. Another question being raised here is why the suspects were not arrested when they were injured.

“They could have been arrested alive because they were unarmed,” an officer of a law enforcement agency said.

He said the suspects could have provided useful information. The officer said he believed that security personnel opened fire out of a fear that the suspects might have been wearing suicide vests. The bodies were lying in the morgue of the Bolan Medical Complex after postmortem.

Sources said the Chechens had not crossed into Pakistan from Afghanistan in the recent past and it appeared that they had come to Kuchlak from North Waziristan.

Their passports had expired two years ago, an official said.

Amanullah Kasi adds: The Balochistan National Party-M, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, both factions of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam and Jamaat-i-Islami have called for an impartial investigation into the incident.Leaders of the parties said there were contradictions in the statements of security forces. They claimed that they had information about the arrival of terrorists intending to carry out suicide attacks, but failed to explain how the suspects had managed to reach Kuchlak, near the provincial capital.

The leaders said all vehicles were searched at the Baleli checkpoint by FC, police and Levies personnel, but the Chechens appeared to have dodged them.

They said that if the security forces’ version of the incident had been correct, the suicide vests would have blown up when police and FC personnel opened fire on the ‘terrorists’

Earlier today, President Obama telephoned President Zardari on the successful US operation which resulted in killing of Osama bin Ladin.

Osama bin Ladin’s death illustrates the resolve of the international community including Pakistan to fight and eliminate terrorism. It constitutes a major setback to terrorist organizations around the world.

Al-Qaeda had declared war on Pakistan. Scores of Al-Qaeda sponsored terrorist attacks resulted in deaths of thousands of innocent Pakistani men, women and children. Almost, 30,000 Pakistani civilians lost their lives in terrorist attacks in the last few years. More than 5,000 Pakistani security and armed forces officials have been martyred in Pakistan’s campaign against Al-Qaeda, other terrorist organizations and affiliates.

Pakistan has played a significant role in efforts to eliminate terrorism. We have had extremely effective intelligence sharing arrangements with several intelligence agencies including that of the US. We will continue to support international efforts against terrorism.

It is Pakistan’s stated policy that it will not allow its soil to be used in terrorist attacks against any country. Pakistan’s political leadership, parliament, state institutions and the whole nation are fully united in their resolve to eliminate terrorism

Davis (whose identity was first denied and later confirmed by the US Embassy in Islamabad), and the embassy have claimed that he was hired as an employee of an US security company called Hyperion Protective Consultants, LLC, which was said to be located at 5100 North Lane in Orlando, Florida. Business cards for Hyperion were found on Davis by arresting officers.

Firstly, there is not and never has been any such company located at the 5100 North Lane address. It is only an empty storefront, with empty shelves along one wall and an empty counter on the opposite wall, with just a lone used Coke cup sitting on it.

His real name is Erik Prince .He is the CEO of Black water ,Zee worldwide and Dyn Crop and many other security agencies .Before holding this position he joined special services group of USA Army for 10 years and agent of CIA.He is commandoSharp shooter GPS Explosive device expert ,Directly assisting Obama for War on terror and he was given the task to select the target for Drone attacks on behalf of Pakistan Government .He was posted  in Peshawar consulate  of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa province of Pakistan in 2007.

But due to this unethical and undiplomatic activities and conformed by intelligence reports of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa Government declared him personanangrata and made request to Federal Government to deaf ear towards the demand of KPK Government by Federal Government the Provincial Government deport him from Khyber Pakhtunkhawa.

“During the course of investigation, police retrieved photographs of some sensitive areas and defence installations from Davis’ camera,” a source told The Express Tribune requesting anonymity. “Photos of the strategic Balahisar Fort, the headquarters of the paramilitary Frontier Corps in Peshawar and of Pakistan Army’s bunkers on the Eastern border with India were found in the camera,” the source added.

The police had recovered a digital camera, a Glock pistol and a phone tracker along with a charger from Davis after his arrest. The Punjab government considers Davis a security risk after the recovery of the photos of sensitive installations, said the source.

The Obama administration has been pressuring Pakistan to release Davis who, according to it, “is a member of the administrative and technical staff of the mission” and therefore enjoys diplomatic immunity under the Vienna Convention.

Raymond Davis  employee assigned as a contract to the US Consulate in Lahore, Davis was likely not on the diplomatic list and probably did not enjoy full diplomatic immunity. He was probably considered a member of the administrative or technical staff. Protecting himself during a robbery attempt would not be considered part of his function in the country, and therefore his actions that day would not be covered under functional immunity. So determining exactly what level of immunity Davis was provided will be critical in this murder case.

 Security has become a major problem

Security of Pakistan as well as of  the citizens has become crucial for the future of the state. It has come to pose a challenge for both the government and the people in Pakistan. Prior to the emergence of current situation, many people believed that Pakistan had to counter only the external threats .

Now the internal threat and suicide bombing too had become crucial which associate with external. Rather this demands as much vigilance as the external threat like US drones attacks, NATO air jets shelling ,bomb blast and suicide attacks as well. The security and the well-being of the country now depends how best it deals with these two threats which is very difficult to handle by Pakistani security departments without any external help.

The events that followed Sept 11, 2001 have changed the situation all over the world. Former German Chancellor Schroeder had rightly said that the world would now be different. He said it would certainly not remain the same.

The former President of Soviet Union, Mr.Gorbachev has warned Nato that they cannot get victory in Afghanistan. He said there is better for United States that USA withdraws its troops from Afghanistan. The Former President said that his country pulled his forces from Afghanistan after ten years and Afghan victory is Impossible for them and United States as well and it is time to leave this region .

Violence has hit our country hard after 9/11. Some say it is on decline but many others strongly challenge this argument. They say it is not on decline rather it is on rise. Whether it is on rise or decline, people have begun to live with it as a dreadful part of their life. All the people being aware of the menace keep thinking how best they could meet the challenge. They put forward different strategies.

On one point they all agree that the problem of security demands immediate and prompt attention of all. It appears that something has gone wrong somewhere. People do not feel themselves safe and secure as they did about ten years ago. Everybody has to be on guard. Officials or private citizens, elderly or youth, men or women now feel compelled to take precautionary measures.

The security agencies constantly advise the people to remain alert. They should report to the police if they feel suspicious about any person in the area. Similarly, they had better keep themselves away if they find anything by the roadside that might arouse their suspicion.

Some people go so far as to say that they do not know when they leave their homes whether they will be able to return or not. The common man finds his life, property and unfortunately sometime even his honor at risk.

Every corner of the country is unsafe no parks, schools, shrines, mosques where people gather for pray, education and entertainment by terrorist attacks,hundreds of people killed in these attacks. The reasons for the situation having deteriorated to such an extent are varied and many in number.

The spread of militancy practically too all parts of the country has been the main reason for giving rise to fear and insecurity. The militancy has unleashed terror in many forms. These include bomb blasts, suicidal bombing, target killing kidnapping for ransom and street violence and robberies at gun point. Bomb blasts and suicidal bombing from Khyber to Karachi have made the people think more about their safety.

Such incidents as these can make anybody become an easy target and it could occur anywhere. This fear has begun to haunt the people at homes, this nightmare should be finish. The streets in their offices and you name any other place, they feel it there.

According to reports, 87 suicide attacks took place across the country last year. Nearly 1300 people were killed in these attacks. This figure is an increase of about forty percent in comparison with the preceding year.

 The CIA operated drones have been attacking Northern tribal belt for the last more than two years killing over 2000 people. The US drones have struck tribal belt especially North West and North South Pakistan almost forty times since September 2,30 times in October 2010 killing over four hundred people, mostly innocent tribes with terrorist.

The number of suicide attacks has been on the rise during this year than 2009 . Most of these attacks have been carried out by teenagers who had under twenty. According to the report of local Urdu News channel three hundreds of teenagers have been trained to be used as suicide bombers.

The personnel of security forces have suffered heavily in such acts but neither the women nor children were spared. The educational institutions especially those in the NWFP have been attacked by militants. They have been very harsh against the schools for girls. Why? About 100 schools for girls were destroyed alone in Swat.

The militants had taken over Swat. The life there stood paralyzed. The whole world felt shocked. The place was a major attraction for tourists from home as well as abroad. But the tourists had stopped going there.

Everything had come to a halt. Pakistan had to take action. Pakistan army came to the rescue of the country. It launched operation to take back the land well known for its scenic beauty. The army succeeds in taking it back but many of its brave soldiers had to render the supreme sacrifice of their life to restore the writ of the state.

The common citizens too had to pass through agony. About two and a half million local people had to leave the area during the military operation against militants. They moved to safer place as Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) – refugees in their own country.

What more horrible situation could be there? However, it goes to the credit of the Pakistani Nation that it stood united to meet the challenge. Although these challenges were created for us after 9/11. Is it revenge or preplanned challenges?

This War mounded over the different Muslim countries. We don’t know how and where the militant come from .These militants are created for Muslims by others ,Who knows ? Life from now onwards would be new for them and thus their conduct and their attitude would also be different.

The threat to life and property has also had its effects on economic and social life of the people. The military operation also had to be conducted in North / South Waziristan. It had become the stronghold of militants and the State had to take action to restore its writ. It was launched last October 2009 and though militants have been driven out from large areas, the military operation has not ended as yet.

Action also has been taken in the Orakzai Agencyand other places of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Never before has military action ever been taken on such a large-scale in the history of FATA which stretches over a period of hundreds of years. This alone adequately describes the serious situation that prevails there. What more amply could be stated than that the United States had declared it from be the most dangerous area in the world?

 The United States is considered the sole Super Power in the world but here in this region, it too feels the threat to its security. USA  has launched drone attacks and violation in our North West areas of Pakistan territory.

Thousands of people have been killed but the United States says  do more ,do more need to be  ensure its safety and US drone attacks are  a part of their war . During these attacks innocent civilian have been killed By US Drone strikes, Air Jets and helicopters shelling and firing. NATO that came into existence to meet the threat of the former Soviet Union and its communist allies too is fully involved in Afghanistan.

NATO was set-up in 1948 to defend the Western but according to the organization itself; this has been the most difficult challenge for it. The precarious economic situation of Pakistan could be well imagined that it had been compelled to incur an expenditure of more than dollar thirty five billion to fight against terrorism. This it had to do for securing its border on the Western front.

In addition Pakistan has to bear a huge expenditure for the security of its Eastern borders. It is therefore that Pakistan should take every step it considers essential for its security on both the Eastern and Western fronts. By Saadia Sehar Haidari

This three days polo tournament will be organized by the Gilgit and Chitral polo clubs and Sarhad Corporation Tourism. The tournament will be held on Shandur Pass, the highest polo ground in the world at 3,700 meters (the pass itself is at 3,800m).Shandur create a center of attention for visitors to experience the traditional polo tournament which is being held since 1936 on annual basis in July between the teams of Chitral and Gilgit.

The festival also includes Folk music, Paragliding, dancing, bonfire and a camping village is set up. Gilgit, Chitral and Skardu have always played the game of polo closest to its original form. In the past, local Khans, Mirs and Mehtars were the patrons of the game. At times, more than 50% of the annual budget of their principalities would be spent on supporting the game.

Field polo requires two teams of 4 players. A full-size of large grass field is 300 yards long, and either 200 yards or 160 yards wide if there are side boards—these are generally 6″ high. There are tall collapsible goalposts at each end of the field spread 8 yards apart. The object of the game is to score the most goals by hitting the ball through the goal. Polo teams change direction after each goal in order to compensate for field and wind conditions. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team’s goal using a long-handled mallet.

 A polo game has periods of play, known as chukkas (also chukkers or chuckers). This term originated in 1898 and is derived from Hindi chakkar from Sanskrit chakra “circle, wheel” or duration of rounds (compare chakka). Depending on the rules of the particular tournament or league, a game may have 4, 6 or 8 chukkas; 6 chukkas or rounds are most common usually, each chukka or round is 7 minutes long, but some games are played in shorter chukkas. Between chukkas, the players switch to fresh ponies. In less competitive polo leagues, players may play only two ponies, alternating between them.

 A game first played in Persia (Iran) at dates given from the 5th century BC, or much earlier, to the 1st century AD and originated there, polo was at first a training game for cavalry units, usually the king’s guard or other elite troops. Polo found popularity in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Pakistan and the United States of America. James Gordon Bennett, Jr. organized the first polo match in the United States at Dickel’s Riding Academy at 39th Street and Fifth Avenue in New York City.

During the early part of the 20th century, under the leadership of Harry Payne Whitney, polo changed to become a high-speed sport in the United States, differing from the game in England, where it involved short passes to move the ball toward the opposition’s goal. Whitney and his teammates used the fast break, sending long passes downfield to riders who had broken away from the pack at a full gallop. Polo is now an active sport in 77 countries, and although its tenure as an Olympic sport was limited to 1900–1939, in 1998 the International Olympic Committee recognized it as a sport with a bona fide international governing body, the Federation of International Polo. The World Polo Championship of Polo is held every three years by the Polo. But Shandur Polo is held every year on same dates in summer.

 Like every year, a large number of foreign and local audiences are expected and the national airlines will charter special flights for the occasion from all around the country to Chitral. An estimated 10,000 national and international people attended this event in 2009 and similar numbers are expected this year.

Establishment of festival announced the special arrangement for national and international visitors. An official of Sarhad Corporation Tourism told that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Sports, Culture & Tourism Syed Aqil Shah will request President Asif Ali Zardari and other international guests to attend the event as chief guest.

This type of events shows and proves that Pakistan is stable, moderate and peace making country and Pakistanis are peace loving people and nobody specialy outside infulance can’t bulldoze our peace.

Think is there no al-Qaeda and no Osama bin laden. It is a propaganda used by super powers to destroy Islamic countries one by one. According to this statement all Muslims world and special those who are living in Asia shall ready for new assignment from first world. We don’t know what the philosophy is and psychology behind this propaganda by seculars.He is the main character of the main drama against Muslim community.

We should become in unity other wise we do not finish it easily. Because when we do unite the counter to there end will start ticking that day.

Few month before Fox News, CNN and BBC channel broadcast the footage and picture of Osama Laden on 25 Jan bin 2010?

Numerous audio and video statements purporting to be from Bin Laden have been released, but their authenticity has been continually questioned.

Bin Laden has issued around 40 statements since 9/11, and many include clear contemporaneous date references and certainly are faked.

What do you think that footage which is broadcast in Jan 2010 was new? Obviously not Osama was dead in Afghanistan on 2002 .His terrible death was confirmed by FBI’s counter-terrorism chief Dale Watson, White House, CNN and BBC in 2002 during the period of W. Bush former president of America.

But one thing in the footage which was broadcasting on the news channels was same as the footage of 2001, 2002, and 2007…….. None of them can be proven to be authentic. Certainly of them can be shown to be almost fake .

Osama is looking in the video as old as 2001.The authenticity of all of the videos is questioned by David Ray Griffin, a former theology professor and member of the 9/11 Truth Movement, which also questions mainstream, accounts of the attack on the World Trade Centre. He is operating these tapes of al-Qaeda and some other forces an interest in manipulating it to look like current tapes. It is easy to digitally manipulate voice to say anything. Everyone can change months, years, tape vowels, syllables and change it.

Mr Griffin calls it “Blackbeard: the terrorist tape”. Bin Laden’s trademark grey beard has been replaced with a neat, jet-black beard, and there are a number of frames in the video, Where Bin Laden carries on speaking but the picture of him freezes.

Its validity is questioned by the former agent of CIA. Robert Baer dismisses the suggestion of a conspiracy by Western intelligence but thinks that al-Qaeda may have faked the video.

The world has been changed into technology world. You can generate every thing easily by technology. Even you can get the universe with technology without it you can not conquered the whole world .All the super power use it for their interests.

There would be a number of people involved in this propaganda and word of it would have spread by now.

According to “MSNBC”The report that he was suffering form Diabetes, Hepatitis C, and an “untreated lung complication” and would have had to “walked unmolested” out of the craggy mountains of Afghanistan under the surveillance of “thousands” of special operations troops with at least one kidney dialysis machine in pull. The report also does not mention that electricity to power dialysis machines may be difficult to generate on the move through the mountains of Afghanistan.
There are about 30 close associates of Osama bin Laden in Al Qaeda, including his most trusted and personal bodyguards, his family members and some Taliban friends attended the funeral ceremony after his death. A volley of bullets was also fired to pay tribute to their leader.

that it was looked The Taliban source who claims to have seen Osama bin Laden’s face before burial said “pale … but calm, relaxed and confident.”

The other source claimed that bin Laden was laid to rest honorably in his last abode and his last rest place was made as per his Wahabi belief. He is buried in Tora Bora.

Osama bin Laden had no feelings of guilt before death. But he was proud that he succeeded in his mission of igniting awareness amongst Muslims about hegemonistic designs and conspiracies of “pagans” against Islam his close friends told.

Bin Laden held the view that the sacrifice of a few hundred people in Afghanistan was nothing, as those who laid their lives in creating an atmosphere of resistance will be adequately rewarded by Almighty Allah, “Taliban sources said.”

It is mystery that how the dead man alive again and moving around us. May be his soul is wondering around the world. We believe that Osama was killed by drown attacks and heavy bombardment .So what is the new propaganda against Muslims. With our economy and development disaster, our deficit and national debt skyrocketing, our infrastructure crumbling, killing of innocent civilian and our military stretched to the limits, Pakistani must ask themselves and from American’s policy makers, and realize them Osama and his agenda finished with him.

Is this one man really worth it? Especially considering the real possibility that he may already be dead? Or is it possible that the government, with the help of the mainstream media, is scaring the Pakistani people into prolonging a war that can only have one outcome – exiting Afghanistan?

 Pakistan is a four provinces country with different tribes. Punjab has its own culture, Sind has its own, Baluchistan has its own and the Frontier Province has its own culture. Every culture is different form other but it possesses its own grandeur. People who are keen to learn about ancient times come here to seek further information about it .

It may appear amazing to some but its a hard fact that the culture of the people of Pakistan had existed on this land much before the creation of the country. Pakistan, as it is known today was created in the year 1947.

During this very long period, history was written and re-written. The people were compelled to think about their future and this also kept changing their priorities and hence it also had effect on the culture. History in fact has left its deep mark on the culture of Pakistan. It would be correct to say that the history had dictated its terms to the culture of the land. It is on account of history that different forms of culture could be found in Pakistan at different places Each province has a distinct culture of its own.

The people take pride in culture of their respective provinces. It does not mean in any sense that they stand divided over the matter. Rather this diversity in culture is a source of strength and pride of the people of Pakistan Thus the culture of Pakistan is most dear to the people and many of its qualities are held in the highest esteem. .  Shalwar ,Qamiz ,Suit ,Sharwani with jinnah cap for man and same for ladies but Hijaab is must for ladies in different areas in my . It is worn by people of all the four provinces. But now a day people just preference to wear just English suits in offices and Shalwar Qamiz in formally.

The people of Pakistan celebrate all Islamic events like Arabic countries in a year. Public Holiday is declared for several days on each occasion. The people throughout the length and the breadth of the country celebrate these holidays with great festivity. They wear best and new dress for the two occasions. It could be said that these two festivals are among the most features of our culture. These event are uncomplete without bangles and Hinna for ladies and Gift Eidi for Kids.The diversity in culture brings forth the magnificence everywhere and where the smell of Henna attracts elderly women and young girls in all special events alike marrageparties .There are girls who could be seen dancing with Henna’s hand at the beat of drum on the advent of weeding party and especially in spring season when their colorful stoles and dupaatas could be seen floating in the air in sheer ecstasy as they swing under the oak trees. Where the boys could be seen running behind the cutting kites on the streets as they fly in the air .Where old man sitting in his cart and busy with his tobacco pipe (Huqa or Shisha) and calling out loudly without loudspeaker to his son or daughter for helping, where kids are running and playing hide and seek in the open streets, young boys playing cricket on the narrow streets and breaking windows of houses and automobiles, where people enjoy cock, quail and dog fighting .This is beauty of my culture you can just find here. 

As sports are the real pastime and recreation for the majority of Pakistanis. Kabaddi and Kushti (indigenous wrestling), horse riding (specially tent pegging), polo, are some of the indigenous sports that are widely played all over Pakistan, but cook fighting ,dog fighting and quail fighting are special sports of inside the old cites .

People love dance when they feel happy.Folk dances are very popular all over the country in varying forms. Owing to the Islamic culture, mostly men take part in dances publicly; however female dancers too exhibit their skills in group dances and individual in the wedding parties and in special occasions. All four province have their dances and in every province have many small tribes those tribes have their own dances.Dances are “Luddi and Bhangra” are famous dances in Punjab, at the beat of big drums and are normally related to harvest season (top right), while “Khatak Dance” basically a sword dance is much popular in NWFP .Khatak dance is the reflection of the Arabs . Musical instruments like Dhol(drum), Shehnai (clairnet), sitar (three stringed instrument), sarod, alghoza (two wind piped flute) and flute are some of the widely used instruments.

My culture is full of love where lovers die for each other and sacrifice their lives for their beloved .My land is full of love stories where many lovers lie buried in the same grave for each other but still live in the hearts of people, their fables and songs people say and sing to pay tribute them. Some famous lovers whose stories are passed on from generation to generation are Heer-Ranja, Sooni-Mahiwal, Sasi-Puno, Sahiba-Mirza. Their love stories ended in tragedy. Some of them were killed by their rivals.

WORST YEAR Year 2009-2010 was the worst in the history of Pakistani journalism during which as many as 21 journalists lost their lives and more than 45 were wounded at the hands of terrorists and suicide bombers. An overwhelming majority of journalists had to face severe economic stress during that period. There were sporadic incidents of violence against journalists in Balochistan and some other parts of the country, no major act of ban, censorship, suppression or prejudice by the government came to light. Although there was no major act of ban, censorship, suppression or prejudice by the government, there were sporadic incidents of violence, atrocity or harassment against journalists in Balochistan, and some other parts of the country, at the hands of pressure groups or agencies. A marked increased was noted in the occurrence of incidents of torture and altercations, implication in criminal cases and hindrance in discharge of professional duties by terrorist groups and ethnic organisations. A marked increase was also noted in incidents of attacks on media persons by members of various professional organizations, especially doctors and lawyers who have traditionally been very close to the journalists as they belong to an educated class.

NECOSA & ROLE OF JUDICIARY Despite a proactive and highly inspired judiciary in Pakistan, it is yet to pay attention to problems faced by journalists, and safeguard their economic rights. On the other hand, ignoring the plight of newspapermen, implementation of the 7th Wage Award, which has already been notified in the official gazette and is a part of law itself, has been kept under suspension and the tribunal constituted for implementation of the wage award, namely, Implementation Tribunal for Newspaper Employees, constituted under the Newspaper Employees (Conditions of Service) Act 1973 (NECOSA) has been restrained from taking any coercive action against newspaper owners on their failure to implement the wage award.

ONWERS CARTEL & IMPLEMENTATION TRIBUNAL While journalists lack resources to fight cases in courts or protect their members from being illegally sacked or pressured by owners in media organizations, the owners cartel, the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS), whose prime object is to protect economic interests of media tycoons, and which gets subscriptions from owners in millions, has filed cases in various courts, challenging the law itself, its vires, or the operation of tribunal. Under such circumstances, the Implementation Tribunal for Newspaper Employees constituted under the Newspaper Employees (Conditions of Service) Act, 1973, failed to prove effective under the circumstances. The Sindh High Court is hearing newspaper owners’ petitions for the last nine years without any judgment in any case and has held the implementation of the 7th Wage Award in abeyance, although journalists believe that justice delayed is justice denied. Due to machinations of the powerful and influential group of newspapers owners, which is known to be the mightiest pressure mafia of Pakistan, journalists are appearing in court cases although they have lost hope for justice. They have not enough resources to challenge owners’ maneuvers in courts of law with same force, although the PFUJ and the concerned UJs are doing their level best and appearing in courts regularly. The owners’ cartel, the APNS, has succeeded in thwarting and defeating pronouncements of Chief Justice of Pakistan, and succeeded in keeping the implementation of the 7th Wage Board Award in abeyance by maneuvering to get a restraint order from the Singh High Court through clever tactics. The owners’ mafia is so strong that no person or agency can dare probe, check, or inspect working conditions prevailing in media houses, as per prevailing laws. The owners’ mafia is the most privileged class of Pakistan as they enjoy exceptional and preferential concessions in terms of taxes, duties, levies and sanctions, by virtue of the media power commanded by them. As a consequence to these circumstances, the media persons are forced to work on the 14-year-old wages and fringe benefits fixed under the 6th Wage Award as on July 1, 1996, whereas there has been tremendous increase in the salaries and allowances of employees of other departments since then, but poor press workers and journalists have been deprived of these benefits. Some major newspaper groups who had earlier increased salaries of journalists under the head of ex gratia as per market dynamics on the recommendations of their editors (because most of journalists were leaving those organizations in search of better pay packages), are bent up to deduct that amount being paid under ex gratia as soon as decision of the seventh wage award is announced. They are seeking undertakings from journalists that the amount would be adjusted, and recently the Dawn Media Group adjusted an amount of Rs. 67,000 against the payment made in the salary of each worker on the head of ex gratia after a petty agreement with the Dawn Union. The management had to pay this amount as it was payable since 1994 at the rate of Rs.300 per month in view of judgment of Faisalabad Compensation Court in the case of Shamsul Islam Naz vs Dawn Group of Newspapers.

 ANNUAL INCREMENTS AND PROMOTIONS DENIED On the other hand, journalists and workers in newspaper organizations are working in great stress and are being denied promotions, move-overs, and their other lawful dues by the managements. Some major organizations, including Dawn, Jang, Nawa-i-Waqt, Daily Times, have introduced contract system of hiring and have been indulging in recruitment on contract for six moths to two years or they have re-hired some senior journalists after their retirement, but are not extending any other benefits including medical, leaves, overtime, night allowance, five per cent, cost of living allowance, etc., but have mentioned their posts as “Consultant”. Although they are doing journalistic work, they are not being mentioned as editors, assistance editors etc. They are being denied medical facilities, unlike other regular employees. 600

JOURNALISTS SACKED At least 600 media workers have been sacked from various channels and newspapers during the period under review, only to save their salaries while their share of responsibilities is shifted on the remaining employees who are subjected to over-work on the same wages, because no institution in Pakistan is strong enough to curb the activities of the said mafia. A brief account of the view point of the PFUJ about the events which took place in Pakistan events relating to the media persons during the period from 2nd May 2009 to 3rd May 2010 is given below:-

JOURNALISTS KILLED Security continues to be one of the most significant challenges for journalists and media personnel throughout Pakistan, particularly in the conflict and insurgency-prone frontier regions. The data on journalists killed and wounded in the line of duty makes a grim reading. Other threats, such as physical intimidation, abduction and constant harassment remain very much present. In Pakistan’s conflict zones, rival groups seek to dictate the content and tone of news coverage. The country lost eight journalists in 2008, while 2009 has been equally grim. The murder of Musa Khankhel while he was reporting on a truce negotiated in the picturesque but turbulent Swat Valley in Pakistan’s North-West shocked the Country.

D I KHAN: On Jan 4, 2009, media workers, Tahir Awan and Mohammad Imran, were killed in a grim enactment of the “twin-blast strategy” in Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa. Both had rushed to the scene of a bomb blast as police and forensic experts reached the site. In the meantime, another bomb planted there went off when enforcement officials and journalists reached there.

KHUZDAR: On April 13, 2009, Hajji Wasi Ahmed was shot and killed by snipers in Khuzdar. He was a highly respected correspondent of Daily Azad and Daily Balochistan Express. He was also president of local newspapers body.

RAWALPINDI: On Jan 25, 2009; unknown assailants gunned down Aamer Wakil, a senior journalist for Rohi TV and editor of a local daily, Awami Inqilab. A week later, his brother, Kamal Azfar, also a journalist survived an attempt on his life. In March 2009, Raja Asad Hameed of The Nation was killed by unknown assailants in Rawalpindi. SWAT: Swat has particularly been a dangerous place. On Nov 8, 2008, Qari Mohammad Shoaib, a correspondent for two Mingora-based dailies, was shot dead in the region. Security forces later admitted that he was the victim of a case of mistaken identity. Siraj-ud-Din, of The Nation, was killed in a suicide blast while covering the funeral of a slain police officer in Mingora. On Aug 30, 2008, Abdul Aziz, of the daily Azadi and Khabarkar, was killed during a security operation in a Taliban hideout in Swat, two days after he was reportedly abducted by militants. Musa Khankhel was killed in February 2009 by unknown assailants. He was killed after abduction as he was reporting peace accord in Swat. Peshawar-based Afghan journalists Janullah Hashimzada, was killed by unknown people in Jamrud area of Khyber Agency while he was on his way to Peshawar from Afghanistan in a passenger coach. Senior reporter of Express News Javed Afridi was kidnapped for ransom and remained in the captivity of kidnappers for 25 long days. The kidnappers had been demanding Rs.6 million as ransom from Khyber Union of Journalists. He, however, LEAs managed his escape good from clutches of kidnappers. Tribal Belt: Pakistan’s tribal belt is a most hazardous war zone, where reporting is being carried out at the cost of life. On 22 May 2008, Mohammad Ibrahim of Express News was gunned down in Khar in the Bajaur tribal region after he interviewed a Taliban spokesman. And in what seemed to be a clear attempt to dent professional morale among journalists, two attempts were made in January and February to destroy the Bajaur Press Club as well as Wana Press Club, Wana, in the South Waziristan Tribal Area. Journalists unpaid in

FATA: Journalists in Tribal Areas are working in extreme life threatening conditions, but except for some, a large number of them are not being paid salaries by the print media and some of the TV channels. According to local affiliates of the PFUJ, 90pc of tribal journalists are unpaid. Media groups are forcing their reporters to take bribes from administration as they are not paid salaries. The government and political administration have taken no measures for security and protection of the tribal journalists. Threats from non-state actors have increased over the years. Therefore, there is a dire need to seriously address the difficulties faced by the tribal journalists. Access to information here is impossible, which is a great problem. Journalists are not well equipped for reporting in the sensitive tribal zones which was resulting in loss of lives of journalists. Displaced journalists from Swat valley: All the media people from the restive Malakand division had to leave their homes for safer areas after the military operation was launched in Swat. The PFUJ and its affiliated KhUJ registered 240 displaced journalists from Swat Valley who were extended financial and material support with the help of government and non-government national and international bodies. Journalists in the tribal areas too got displaced due to threats from militants or military operations there. The media persons were expelled from the twin agencies of Waziristan and were branded as spies. Same was the situation in Khyber, Mohmand and Bajaur Agency. The house and office of Sahibzada Bajauddin, a Bajaur based journalists were demolished. He has been living as internally displaced person in Peshawar for the last eight months. Scores of journalists have been shifted to Peshawar and other districts from the tribal areas and are living as displaced persons. In Peshawar media outlets received many threats.

 BALOCHISTAN: In strife-torn Balochistan, Abdus Samad alias Chishti Mujahid of Akhbar-i-Jehan, was killed for his critical articles on Balochistan’s independence movement and its late leader, Nawab Akbar Bugti. Khadim Hussain Sheikh of Channel Five and Khabrain, was gunned down in Hub, on Feb 10, 2008, apparently due to his reporting on smuggling in border areas. Balochistan’s depressed Press: Mediamen in Balochistan are currently confronted with threats from the government, predominantly the Frontier Corps (FC), the underground armed groups and the sectarian organizations. Fear, insecurity and uncertainty shroud Balochistan’s journalistic scene at the moment. Reporters find themselves trapped in a situation where almost every party in the conflict wants to dictate them and expect overt backing of their policies in the media by the journalists. Newspaper’s office besieged: The office of Daily Asaap, an Urdu daily in Quetta, a voice of dissent, was besieged by the Frontier Corps (FC) in August 2009. The siege lasted for two weeks. Threats intensified as a military tank was stationed outside the newspaper office. Guns were brandished over newspaper staff. Disappointed over increasing threats faced by its staff members, the newspaper finally decided to shut down. That was the end of Asaap. Journalist threatened Abid Amin is the Bureau Chief of Balochi language satellite channel, Sabz Bath Balochistan (SBB) in District Turbat. Like so many of his peers, he had been threatened not to cover the first death anniversary of three Baloch leaders— Ghulam Mohammad Baloch, Lala Munir and Sher Mohammad who were allegedly kidnapped and subsequently killed by the Frontier Corps (FC) personnel last year. Amin defied. Two weeks ago, he went on to cover the anniversary celebrations for his news channel. Soon, he was picked up allegedly by the FC as a punishment. The reporter went “missing” for three long days. Not a single “national” newspaper or news channel reported his disappearance. The reporter resurfaced after concentrated protests from the local communities. He ended up as a “gentleman” once he was released by his captors. Khuzdar press club In Khuzdar District, the local press club was threatened recently by a shadow organization, identifying itself as Baloch Defense Group. The underground outfit warned to “punish” all those journalists who venture to report activities of Baloch Nationalist Parties and the armed groups. Thus, the fresh dictation restricts reporters from filing stories about bomb blasts, target killings and political rallies of nationalist parties. The local journalists say they do not know much about command and structure of the newly formed organization. Nonetheless, they take the organization very seriously as it had recently claimed responsibility for a firing incident on a political rally in Khuzdar which killed two Baloch students and then a bomb blast at a Balochi Cultural Programme inside Government Degree College Khuzdar that killed two more students. Once the threats were reported in the media, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) officially expressed their concern over the situation being faced by the journalists in Khuzdar. On their part, the pressmen in the district say that they deem it their professional responsibility to report every event that takes place in their district regardless of the fact who masterminds these events. It is unethical to dictate journalists what to report and what not. TV journalist loses life Malik Arif, a senior television journalist lost his life in a suicide bomb blast at Quetta’s Civil Hospital while performing his professional duty. He was covering an impending protest by sympathizers of a prominent Shia bank manager at the hospital when a suicide bomber struck. Malik died on the spot while five more television journalists sustained severe injuries in the attack. Late Malik Arif undoubtedly spent a secularly gallant journalistic stint expanding for more than 30 years. Balochistan Govt’s response Balochistan government’s response to the tragic murder of Malik Arif was disgusting. The big guns in the provincial capital simply exploited his killing as a golden opportunity to make headlines with their statements of condemnation in the local newspapers. Out of 50 ministers in the provincial cabinet, none turned up to attend the funeral of the slain journalist which indicated the provincial government’s lack of interest in fighting terrorism or admiring the media’s courageous role in bringing the truth to the masses. Quetta: The journalists’ community in Quetta has been outraged over the little amount the Chief Minister has announced as compensation for the dead journalist and the injured reporters. Criticizing the government perhaps would not help at this occasion, nor is it the biggest issue at the moment. There is a need for integration among all media organizations and groups striving for rights of journalists to cope up with the emerging challenges the journalists are facing in the wake of the war-like situation that has engulfed the whole country in its grip. Media organizations, mainly the news channels, must arrange safety training programmes for journalists to acquaint them with techniques to grapple with emergencies. Similarly, groups striving for rights of the journalists should press owners of media houses to give full insurance to their employees so that their families do not suffer too much in case of a journalist’s untimely death or injury. In the current unchanged circumstances, the days ahead seem to entail more hardships for the pressmen of Balochistan and less relief from the other side(s). All these observations reflect an abysmal state of the press freedom in Balochistan. These help us understand various dimensions of the threat journalists are facing in the volatile Balochistan province.

MIANWALI: In Mianwali, Punjab, on Nov 3, 2008, Abdul Razzak Johra, of Royal TV, is believed to have been murdered because of his reporting on drug-related crimes. DADU: On Aug 12, 2008, in Sindh, Mohammad Azeem Leghari, of Dharti TV and the daily Hulchal, was killed in Dadu in broad daylight.

THREATS BY TERRORISTS The media persons, especially those working in Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa and conflict areas of this province are constantly under threat of life and are forced to work without any protection from media owners and government. The terrorists did not even spare the Peshawar Press Club which fell victim to a suicide attack, claiming lives of 4 employees of the club and injuries to 32 others, including journalists. Likewise, Geo News reporter Faheem Sidiqui was injured while his eight-year-old son and one of his nieces died in Karachi blast on Ashura Day suicide attack. Brother of another reporter Rajab Ali and sister of Kamran Mansoor (The News Reporter) also died in this incident. Apart from this, three most senior journalists, and activists involved in trade union activities of the media persons who rendered valuable services for the community also lost lives due to heavy pressure and stress. They include Tasawar Abbas Shah, President, Jang Employees Union, Lahore; Najeeb Ahamd, former President of the KUJ and Karachi Press Club, Suhail Qalandar, Resident Editor of Urdu Daily “Express” Peshawar, Vice President of PFUJ and former President of Peshawar Press Club. Mr. Qalanadar also remained in the captivity of terrorists for over 65 days who kidnapped him while he was going to his office.

BALOCHISTAN: The PFUJ observed that in the recent past journalists working in Balochistan, including Dr. Chishti Mujahid, Hajji Wasi Ahmed and Amanullah Nichari, lost their lives while performing their professional duties, yet no notice has been taken by the government to take the killers to task. The majority populated Balochs complain that state intelligence agencies influence hiring and firing policies of several private news channels and newspapers. Most Balochistan offices of key media houses of the country do not have a single Baloch reporter as they are often discriminated against because of their alleged anti-government views. A Quetta-based Baloch Bureau Chief of a leading news channel was sacked from his job reportedly on the instructions of security forces after he interviewed the chief of Jundullah, an Iranian Sunni militant group, who is wanted by Iran and accused of hiding somewhere in Pakistan. The state apparatus got the Baloch journalist fired under the pretext that the interview undermined Pakistan-Iran relations,” the PFUJ maintained. On Sept 4, 2009, a Baloch journalist Irshad Akhtar was badly beaten up by FC personnel and his video camera was snatched by the authorities during a clash between FC personnel and women protestors in Turbat district. In Bolan district, a Baloch journalist, Rehmatullah Shaheen, correspondent of anti-government Daily Tawar, has been charged with terrorism allegation. “Terrorism charges against Rehmatullah Shaheen would give warning signals to the rest of rural correspondents across Balochistan to think twice before reporting objectively from their respective areas regardless of poor governance in the area. Unfortunately, Balochistan has a depressing history of state-sponsored victimization of rural journalists in the province. “It is also a hard fact that Rashid Azam, a Khuzdar-based journalist, working for Urdu Daily Intikhab was picked up by security services and subjected to severe torture for the odd reason of “chatting” online with an Indian citizen. The fellow was tortured to such an extent that he not only quit journalism after his release but also formally joined pro-Pervez Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-i-Azam).” Rehmatullah Shaheen reportedly went missing on Dec 8 while he was traveling from his office to Mach Grid Station. The journalist remained missing for one week. No one knows what actually happened to him. His family members believe that he had been put into a torture cell, tortured and forced to make confessions and show some link with Baloch armed groups. Known for his bold and factual reporting from the sensitive region of Bolan, Shaheen was produced by the local police after protest rallies were held across Balochistan by journalist bodies. Similarly, Munir Mengal, the managing director of the Baloch Voice, a TV channel, was subjected to inhuman torture for more than one year only because he was planning to launch a Balochi news channel. Likewise, Javaid Lehri, a 22-year-old young journalist from Khuzdar working with the Urdu Daily Azadi was maltreated for months together, who too quit the profession after being released by his captors. Not only this, government forced a Quetta-based newspaper Daily Asaap to close offices in August of this year while two other newspapers offices, Daily Balochistan Express and Daily Azadi, were besieged for two weeks by the law-enforcing agencies. Still worse was an assassination attempt on the life of Jan Mohammad Dashti, Editor-in-Chief of Balochi newspaper Daily Asaap. Dashti, also a Provincial Secretary and widely regarded as a highly influential figure in the province, was also forced to leave the country. Like Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa journalists in Sindh and Punjab are waiting for a government response to their sufferings, and protection to their lives. They see much difficult condition in the future if government fails to provide protection to press clubs and other media centres in the country. Moreover, government concessions to media owners and denial of due perks to journalists and non-journalists in media organisations as enshrined under the law, the Newspapers Employees (Conditions of Service) Act, would continue to deteriorate the working environment for media persons which may also hinder journalists creativity, and they may lack in skills. Moreover, their family members, and their children’s education would suffer if no serious efforts are made by the government to resolve the genuine problems of newspapermen. 2009: A crucial year for Pakistani Journalists The year 2009, too, proved to be a curial year for Pakistani media persons who were callously neglected by the media owners, viz-a-viz better wages, security of job and their life insurance, while they were increasingly targeted by the terrorists and other pressure groups in which over half a dozen journalists lost their lives. A review of the year 2009 suggested that like preceding years, from 1996 to onwards, media persons were continuously denied their lawful benefits by the media owners, including a conductive professional working environment, security of job, wages under a government announced wage board and an unbiased gender policy, and the contract system introduced in media organisations by the media owners for journalists was not abolished. As there was no protection to the lives of media persons continued to work under stress, and at least 10 journalists lost their lives while at least 300 were wounded, tortured, and extended threats by government agencies in Balochistan while a dozen journalists were implicated in cases, and about 500 media persons were sacked by their employers without notices and they were denied payment of their lawful dues. In its annual report for the year 2009, highlighting “the plight of Pakistani journalists,” the leading representative body of the print and electronic media of the Pakistan, the Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), observed that in 2009 too journalists in Pakistan remained under the clutches of “media owners” and were forced to work round-the-clock without basic amenities; including provision of clean drinking water, medical facilities, life insurance, security gadgets, wash-rooms, an unbiased gender policy, while media persons were hired by their employers on contract basis to deprive them of their benefits of provident funds, gratuity, pension, and no increase was made in the wages of journalists since July 1996. The highhandedness and cruelty of the media owners can be judged from the tragic incident which took place on Dec 1, 2008 in Lahore where one Mohammad Azam, a Channel-5 employee, committed suicide owing to non-payment of his salaries by his influential employers. Although the present democratic government has not yet taken any worth mentioning action against media for preventing free coverage, some government agencies and non-state actors did not miss an opportunity of intimidating, victimizing and torturing media persons so much so that a number of media persons were killed when they refused to toe their line.

The number of such journalists is 4 in the province of the Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa (Tribal Area) and two in the province of Balochistan. Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa was one of the worst hit area of the country where terrorists groups took lives of as many as four media persons, including a suicide attack on Peshawar Press Club in which two employees of the club lost their lives besides, seven others suffered injuries.

January 2010 01-Jan: Hyderabad Dawn reporter brutally assaulted. M H Khan, the staff correspondent of Dawn in Hyderabad, was assaulted by workers of Sindh National Front near Radio Pakistan building while he was on way back to press club. He received several head injuries and his finger was fractured.

07-Jan: Journalist’s son picked up mysteriously. The son of a senior journalist Shakil Turabi was kidnapped in mysterious circumstances when he was on his way back home from college. Shakil Turabi is chief editor of SANA News Agency.

19-Jan: Unidentified people attacked the house of a reporter of DAWNNEWS Azaz Syed in early hours and left after hurling stones at the house and damaging his car. The attackers did not cause any physical harm to any family member.

27-Jan: Lawyers ganged up against media in Lahore. In a case hearing against a lawyer Naeem Chaudhary for his alleged involvement in a case of victimization of girl servant, lawyers restricted the entry of media persons to the precincts of the court. The lawyers who outnumbered policemen and media persons raised anti-media slogans and used abusive language against them.

February 2010 18-Feb: Mehran TV reporter killed: Armed men shot dead a reporter of Sindhi TV channel in Gambat in district Khairpur. Ashiq Mangi who worked for Mehran TV was going to press club when he was attacked. He died on the spot.

March 2010 01-March: Closure of paper, sacking of media men: The PFUJ expressed its dismay and concern over sudden closure of the national English daily “Business Day”, Karachi, and removal of the entire staff without any notice and termed it a cruel act and classic example of lawlessness.

The PFUJ pointed out that the Business Day started its publication almost four years ago with a claim that it would bring a revolution in the newspaper industry on the basis of quality and excellent working environment in which the entire staff would be given remuneration as per their professional capability. The PFUJ regretted that the owners of the newspaper which belong to a known industrial and banking group and have strong “stakes” brought out this daily just to hoodwink professional media persons in the name of “good journalism” and better services.

10-March: High-headiness against NewsOne Team: The PFUJ withdraw its call for launching a country-wide movement following assurances by the Punjab government that they would withdraw case registered against the News-One TV channel crew, and also for holding an independent inquiry against the highhandedness of the MS of Benazir Hospital. It may be noted that News-One TV Channel team was implicated in a case of harassment, creating hindrance in the official functioning of officials. The media team made live coverage based on sentiments of hospital visitors, relatives of patents as well as patients about their views pertaining to medial facilities being provided at the hospital.

30-March: Cases against journalists in Gujranwala: Expressing concern over registration of cases against 200 media-men in Gujranwala, the PFUJ warned that if cases registered on the complaint of doctors on serious criminal charges are not withdrawn forthwith, the PFUJ would be constrained to give a call for a country-wide protest. The PFUJ expressed concern over excesses of doctors against media persons of Gujranwala and subsequently implicating them in a criminal case for bogus charges of rioting, threatening of dire consequences, misbehaving, scuffling and other charges.

The PFUJ pointed out that on March 28 night, Sajjad Dar, a journalist of a TV channel, suffered from kidney pain and was rushed to the trauma centre of District Headquarter (DHQ) Hospital Gujranwala by his colleagues. At the centre, even after an hour, none of the doctors or paramedical staff attended the journalist who was complaining of acute pain in his kidney and was virtually crying. Consequently, a colleague of Dar contacted the EDO Health Nisar Ahmad Cheema on phone and complained about the indifferent attitude of doctors. In response thereof EDO health reportedly reprimanded the doctor on duty. However, the doctor on duty instead of providing medical aid to Sajjad Dar flared up and called his fellow doctors and all of them thrashed the attendants and other colleagues present at the Trauma Center.

 April 2010 02-April: Concern over Presidential Award: Expressing surprise over government decision to confer Presidential Award upon Late Gen. (Retd) Mujeeb ur Rehman, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) termed it a move to insult media persons on the one hand and a black spot on the face of present democratic government of the PPP.

03-April: Concern over cases against journalists: The PFUJ sharply reacted over registration of a case at the Faisal Town Lahore Police Station against about 100 journalists on the complaint of doctors of Jinnah Hospital and added that it proves that the Punjab government and the police are plying tricks to tame media persons. The PFUJ pointed out that the police implicated media persons on criminal charges of rioting, blocking road, creating disturbance, ransacking and damaging government property, manhandling and torturing doctors. In the FIR among the accused, most of the journalists are office-bearers of the Punjab Union of Journalists (PUJ) and the Lahore Press Club while a number of journalists belong to various newspapers, electronic media, including photographers and cameramen who were also implicated in the case.

06-April: The PFUJ slams Karachi Rangers for detaining journalist: Expressing anguish over detention and manhandling of a journalist, Syed Hasan Ali Shah, who is also a member of the Karachi Union of Journalists by the rangers near Haroon House, the PFUJ demanded immediate action against the ranger officials who misbehaved with the journalist. The journalist had watched the rangers punishing two youths with sticks and had started taking snaps from his mobile camera when all of a sudden ranger jawans got off their vehicle and snatched keys of his vehicle and ordered him to accompany them to their headquarters which is next door to Dawn offices. They detained the journalist for an hour and also ordered him to ensure that the picture he had taken would not be published in his newspaper.

10-April: Khuzdar Press Club: The PFUJ expressed concern over the constant threats to Khuzdar Press Club by a militant group incensed by coverage given to nationalist parties and groups in Balochistan and demanded of the Federal Government as well Chief Minister, Balochistan, to ensure safety of working journalists of Khuzdar and across Balochistan. Reports reaching the PFUJ suggested that “the threat has come from “Baloch Musallah Difah Tanzeem” (BMDT), an outfit which also publicly claimed responsibility for a hand-grenade attack a month ago at the Balochistan University of Engineering and Technology during an event celebrating Baloch Culture.”

17 April: Cameraman killed in bomb blast in Quetta: In a blast in Quetta Civil Hospital, Samaa TV Cameraman Malik Arif lost his life while five other journalists, Noor Elahi Bugti of Samaa TV, Salman Ashraf of Geo TV, Fareed Ahmed of Dunya TV, Khalil Ahmed of Express TV and Malik Sohail of Aaj TV were among the injured.”

 18-April: Journalist killed in Kohat blast: Expressing grave concern over killing of two media persons in a short span of 24 hours, the PFUJ urged the government to come to the rescue of journalists as situation is getting worse in Balochistan and Pakhtoonkhwa, and it is getting more difficult for media persons to perform their duties without fear. Journalists and media persons’ lives are at stake, and time has come that all stake holders and the government take measures for safety and protection of media persons. Referring to incident at Kohat in Khyber Pukhtoonkhaw (formerly NWFP), the PFUJ said that Azmat Ali, a Correspondent of Samaa for Orakzai Agency, was among those killed in the incident, and according to initial reports, blasts took place near the IDP camp Kacha Paka. Azamat Ali Bangash, son of Ali Sarwar Bangash, lost life while preparing package of the displaced persons. Belonging to Ibrahim Zahi, Hongo District, Azmat had joined the profession in 1998, and served in various newspapers. He also served in Express TV, Aaj TV and was presently working with APP, PTV and Samaa TV. He was 54 and leaves behind a son – Ali Hybder (6), two daughters Aliana (3), Alyia (1) and a widow.