Senator Professor Khurshid Ahmad has condemned government's effort to disallow the launching ceremony of Dr Ayesha Siddiaqa's Book "Military Inc: Inside Pakistan's Military Economy" at Islamabad Club and other hotels in Islamabad.
"This is a clear attack on freedom of expression and coercive intervention of the government to suppress freedom of expression and discussion," Professor Khurshid Ahmad said in a statement.
"No institution is a 'sacred cow' and there should be open debate on the achievements and failings of all national institutions and public personalities".
He also condemned serious encroachments on the freedom of the press made by the Federal and Sindh Provincial governments recently. He expressed his alarm over the Minister of Information's statement that government is contemplating restrictions on live TV coverage.
This would be a highly retrogressive step and totally against the established principles of democracy, guarantees given by the constitution and the un-ending claims of the present regime about the freedom of the press.
He has warned that government must not put censorship on the electronic media. He paid tributes to the electronic and print media which have played a very important role in promoting democratic values in general and the movement for independence of the judiciary in particular.
In this context Professor Khurshid also condemned the warning by the Mohajir Rabita Committee to leading journalists of Karachi and the mysterious dispatch of bullets to three of these journalists.
He also strongly condemned the abduction and torture of Shakil Turabi CE of the Sana News Agency. All this seems to be a part of this crusade against the press and electronic media, he stressed. "It is the people, the Parliament and the Press which have to rise to protect their rights and ensure movement towards establishment of democracy and the constitutional regime in the country" he demanded.
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