The journalists of Peshawar on Monday held a protest demonstration outside the press club against the illegal confinement of a radio journalist Saleem Rehman by Sarband police and asked for his immediate release. The protestors were led by Khyber Union of Journalists Senior Vice President, Ali Hazrat Bacha, press club president, Saiful Islam Saifi and PACT Radio Producer, Abdul Baseer.
The protestors were holding placards inscribed with slogans for release of the journalist. They chanted anti-police slogans for keeping an innocent newsman in habeas corpus for the past six days. The speakers condemned illegal confinement of the journalist and termed it sheer violation of basic human rights. They said that incidents pertaining to misbehaviour with journalists by police are on the rise but the concerned high ups are reluctant to take notice of the grave situation.
"If the journalist committed any crime, police should register a case and produce him before the relevant court instead of keeping him in habeas corpus," they said adding that it has no right to misuse official powers by keeping someone in illegal confinement.
The speakers also condemned Yakatoot police for keeping a local journalist Mohammad Rahim Safi in illegal confinement in the police station for sometime, giving him life threats for the simple reasons that he tried to investigate a story about a theft case. They asked the Capital City Police Officer and Inspector General of Police to take notice of the increasing incidents of violence against journalists, and resolve the issue. In case the police do not redress journalists' grievances, they would be forced to decide the next line of action, they said.