(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Pakistani Minister of Information Javed Jabar, RSF expressed its concern about pressure exerted by the government on “Dawn”, one of the country’s largest private dailies. Robert Ménard, the organisation’s secretary-general, stated that he was “very worried about damage to the relationship between the private press and the authorities, especially […]
(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Pakistani Minister of Information Javed Jabar, RSF expressed its concern about pressure exerted by the government on “Dawn”, one of the country’s largest private dailies. Robert Ménard, the organisation’s secretary-general, stated that he was “very worried about damage to the relationship between the private press and the authorities, especially following recent statements by the chief executive, General Musharaf, against ‘corrupt’ and ‘unpatriotic’ journalists”. The organisation fears that such pressure leads to attacks against media which criticise the military government. RSF also addressed recommendations to the minister about the draft bill on freedom of information tabled by the government. The organisation regrets that access to certain important public documents is not free.
According to information collected by RSF, on 27 September 2000, six members of the army, accompanied by three engineers from the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation, arrived at the headquarters of the Dawn group of newspapers in Karachi. On the pretext of inspecting the building’s electric installations, the soldiers asked for permission to inspect the daily’s premises. When the manager of the newspaper refused, the soldiers threatened to immediately disconnect the building’s electricity supply. Finally, an engineer inspected the desks for four hours. According to “Dawn” journalists, the inspection was “actually a punitive police raid.”
This incident occurred after a week of tension between “Dawn” and the authorities, and especially the minister of information, who demanded a correction following the 12 September publication of an article titled “Free press: does Musharraf have second thoughts?”. The newspaper reviewed Musharraf’s statements during the UN Millennium Summit. The Pakistani chief executive stated that he had “no desire to stifle the press, although some of what has been printed in Pakistan would have justified stifling it ten times over.” He added that journalists “are corrupt” and “not patriotic enough.” The authorities also allegedly accuse “Dawn” of publishing an interview with the father of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who claims the army contacted him before the coup d’état, asking that he impel his son to resign. Since the publication of this article, the Press Information Department (PID), the official body in charge of the relationship between the press and the government, has tried to obtain a correction from the editor, Salim Asmi. He has refused, reminding the authorities that they could use a right to answer. The government has allegedly threatened the daily with legal proceedings if they refuse, but the authorities have denied this information.
The government tabled a freedom of information bill concerning access to official documents. The new law would bar journalists from access to certain official documents, especially “minutes from meetings, or any other documents which public servants judge ‘confidential’.” The bill also stipulates that official documents will be accessible only twenty-one days after being drafted – a time limit judged “incompatible with journalistic work” by professional associations. However, the text does not provide for sanctions against civil servants who violate the law by disclosing an official document.
