http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/details.php?id=120075
Post -emergency conditions in Pakistan do not augur good omen: SAFMA LAHORE: The renowned organization of journalists of South-East Asia, SAFMA (South Asia Free Media Association) has not expressed some very good views about post-emergency conditions in Pakistan. Addressing a press conference, the general secretary Imtiaz Alam has demanded the government to take back its emergency implementation back at earliest. The other SAARC members of SAFMA have urged that in the light of earlier decision of PFUJ (Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists) decision, protest letters and literature should be mailed to all embassies on 15th Nov , while protest rallies should be staged on 20th Nov. SAFMA has also appealed to APNS, CPNA, all international journalistic concerns and all the owners of newspapers that they should join hands with their journalist brethren and join the movement. Mr. Imtiaz Alam informed that he was arrested on Monday after the implementation of emergency, and was shifted to various thanas for 36 hours. He also berated the false claim of the government for taking all the credit for "freedom of press and media", wherein it has managed to be the ultimate guilty party, after imposing restrictions over press and media according to latest round of PCO. He said that in this way the government has done no better than imposing emergency on responsible and important institutions like lawyers and journalists, despite the fact that they can never even think of acting against the National interests, and restrictions on media would not be helpful in war against terrorism. He assured the press and media elements of unrequited support, while urging the journalists to strictly follow their professional code of conduct. He demanded the government to lift all the sanctions against the print and electronic medias with immediate effect and allow immediate resuming of all TV transmissions. Replying to a question he expressed his great joy at the fact that masses had been able to pressurize many a cable operators to resume the transmissions of private TV channels, and urged the masses to refrain from paying any due to operators who refuse the transmissions of private news channels.
