LAHORE (Nazrana Times): The Punjab Union of Journalists (PUJ) observed Black Day at Lahore Press Club in response to a nationwide call by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ). The protest marked the November 3, 2007 emergency and raised concerns about the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), layoffs at media organisations and delays in salary payments.

Journalists set up a protest camp inside the press club, waved black flags and chanted slogans in support of press freedom and against PECA and the 2007 emergency.

Union Leaders Urge Reliance on Elected Assemblies

Journalist leaders described the imposition of emergency rule in any part of the country as undemocratic. They urged the authorities to rely on elected leaders and assemblies to address the country’s problems. They also called for the immediate lifting of what they described as emergency measures and Governor’s Rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Ansari Warns of Long March if Demands Go Unmet

PFUJ Secretary General and Lahore Press Club President Arshad Ansari said journalists in Pakistan were carrying out their professional duties under extremely difficult conditions. He described PECA as a “black law” and said cases had been registered against more than 500 journalists under the Act.

Ansari alleged that media owners were failing to pay salaries and other dues on time, while forced dismissals and layoffs were adding to workers’ difficulties. He warned that if the government failed to address journalists’ concerns, protesters would march from Balochistan to Karachi and from Multan through Lahore to Islamabad, where they would surround Parliament House.

PUJ Seeks Audit of Government Advertising

PUJ President Naeem Hanif and General Secretary Qamarulzaman Bhatti called on the government to audit the billions of rupees spent on advertisements placed with media organisations. They demanded action against outlets that delay salaries or lay off workers and called for their government advertising payments to be suspended.

Journalists and Union Representatives Join Protest

Alongside Ansari, Hanif and Bhatti, attendees included Federal Executive Council members Shafiq Awan, Ijaz Maqbool and Rana Shafiq Pasruri; Punjab Assembly Press Gallery President Khawaja Naseer; and Tamsila Chishti, the Punjab representative of the Federal Commission for the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals.

Wasim Niaz, president of the Association of Photo Journalists Lahore, and its general secretary, Imran Sheikh, also took part, along with former PUJ president Deen Muhammad Dard and Wasim Farooq Shahid.

Journalists in attendance included Sattar Khan, Sher Ali Khalati, Salahuddin Butt, Zahid Abid, Zahir Shehzad, Salik Nawaz, Jawad Hassan Gul, Jamal Ahmed, Syed Atiq Shah, Arshad Ali, Atia Zaidi, Allah Rakha Butt, A.R. Gul, Riaz Bhatti, Sadaqat Mughal, Parvez Altaf, Wasim Sardar, Muhammad Ali, Arif Chaudhry, Javed Iqbal, Babar Shah, Ruhel Akbar, Qaiser Mughal, Mehboob Alam, Kamran Mughal, Khalid Amin and Muhammad Ali Jatt.

Tanveer Ahmed, Mahmood Shirazi, Ihtizaz Ibrahim, Atif Khakwani, Nadeem Sheikh, Niaz Balam, Mohsin Bilal, Hamid Nawaz, Javed Hashmi, Rana Shehzad, Shehzad Malik, Rana Khalid Qamar, Mudassar Khan, Arshad Chaudhry, Khalid Mansoor, Syed Shakir Ali Shah, Qasim Ali, Rana Nayab and Haris Marghoob were among the other journalists who joined the protest, waved black flags and chanted in support of their demands.