SUJ Sukkur observed black day on call of PFUJ

Ahsan Baloch
SUKKUR: Journalists observed Black Day in Sukkur on the call of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists. The Sukkur Union of Journalists organized a protest under the leadership of President Imdad Bozdar followed by hoisting a black flag at Sukkur Press Club. A large number of journalists participated under the leadership of the officials of Sukkur Press Club, Senior Vice President Lala Shahbaz Khan, Secretary General Shehzad Tabani, President of Court Reporters Association Saleem Akhtar Sahto, Photojournalists Association Vice President Ashfaq Khoso, General Secretary Bilawal Bhatti took part in the protest. In the protest, the protestors shouted slogans against the media-killing policies. On this occasion, President Sukkur Union of Journalists Imdad Bozdar said that the amendments in the PICA Act is equivalent to the killing of the media industry, along with the restoration of the PICA Ordinance by amending it is actually a conspiracy to distort the freedom of expression, Responding to the call of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, journalists from across the country will gather in Islamabad on January 30th to protest against media-killing policies. On this occasion, Javed Jatoi, a FEC member of PFUJ, said that including provisions like death penalty in the cases against Imaad Yusuf is equivalent to murder of journalism, on the other hand, journalist Shahid Aslam is being harassed by various methods which is a reprehensible act. On this occasion, Secretary General of Sukkur Union of Journalists Ahkar Rizvi said that, once again an attempt is being made to silence the media, which will not be tolerated at all. Why Killers of Arshad Sharif are still at large when the investigation is complete and the committees have given their reports, he added. Ahkar Rizvi further said that, now again there is a conspiracy to strangle journalism with incidents like Imaad Waseem and Shahid Aslam. On this occasion, Senior Vice President Sukkur Press Club Lala Shehbaz Pathan and Secretary General Shahzad Tabani said that all the conspiracies on behalf of the government are to cancel the licenses of media channels, while the economic killing of media workers are still on continuity even during the tenure of the current democracy claimant government. President of the Court Reporters Association Saleem Sahto said that, even now the government is not stopping from retaliatory actions and journalists and media houses are being harassed in various ways, while false cases against journalists are being filed across the country and this series has not stopped. Sukkur Union of Journalists officials Senior Vice President Khalid Bhanban, Vice President Nadir Khan, Joint Secretary Syed Jawad Shah, Joint Secretary Mubeen Khan, Finance Secretary Kashif Phulpoto, Press Secretary Farooq Soomro, Office Secretary Deedar Unar and members of the Executive Committee Azhar Dayo, Fareed Soomro, Shakeel Aajiz, Ali Dino Shah, Ishaq Khoso, Vice President of Photojournalists Association Ashfaq Khoso, General Secretary Bilawal Bhatti and senior journalists Shahid Ali, Shaukat Rahi, Asif Zaheer Lodhi, Jameel Mughal, Qazi Ziaur Rahman, Jalaluddin Bhayo, Salahuddin Qureshi, Abdullah Chachar, Abdul Jawad Abbasi, Mujahid Bozdar, Inayat Bhatti, Jamshed Qureshi, Kashmir Maher, Abdul Haq Jagirani, Ghulam Hussain Bhanbro, Abdullah Mahar and others also spoke and said that we will not accept any kind of ban on the media and will protest vigorously.