By IANS
Islamabad : Pakistani journalists Sunday observed a “black day” to condemn the police brutality against mediapersons covering a protest by lawyers Saturday against President Pervez Musharraf’s re-election bid.
Hundreds of journalists participated in a rally that wound its way from the Melody Press Club to the Parliament House, Online news agency reported.
Representatives of opposition political parties, civil society, NGOs and lawyers also participated in the rally. Among them were Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Javed Hashmi, the party’s deputy parliamentary leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmad and Supreme Court Bar Association president Munir A. Malik.
Speaking on the occasion, Pakistan Union of Journalists president Humma Ali strongly condemned Saturday’s police brutality against journalists, saying it was pre-planed and was meant to harass media personnel.
According to Ali, at least seven journalists have been killed, 68 abducted and harassed and 81 injured in various incidents during the past seven years.
Rawalpindi-Islamabad Press Club president Mushtaq Minhas said there was no worse form of dictatorship in the country than as existed now and it was functioning by violating the constitution.
Journalist in several big cities of Pakistan including Lahore, Peshawar, Multan and Karachi also staged protest demonstrations.