Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Sunday took a suo moto notice of the incident of use of force and thrashing of lawyers and media persons by the police and law-enforcement agencies on Saturday in front of the Supreme Court and the Election Commission of Pakistan.
The chief justice issued notices to the interior secretary, the Government of Pakistan, and chief commissioner, inspector general of police, deputy commissioner, duty magistrate and senior superintendent of police, Islamabad, to appear before the court Monday (today).
The chief justice further directed the chief commissioner and the inspector general of police, Islamabad, to produce the security plan as well as any order, if received by them from the Interior Division, to control the law and order situation on September 29, 2007.
The journalist community took out rallies and observed black day across the country on Sunday to protest the thrashing of their colleagues at the Constitution Avenue by security forces personnel in full glare of local and foreign media.
Speakers at these rallies condemned state repression against journalists and lawyers and demanded stern action against those behind these violent incidents. The rallies and processions were staged on the call of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists against the unprovoked and uncalled for police baton-charge on peaceful journalists on Saturday who were covering proceedings of the Election Commission scrutinizing the nomination papers of aspirants of the presidential election.
In Islamabad, hundreds of journalists staged a rally from Rawalpindi-Islamabad Press Club Camp Office, which marched to the D-Chowk in front of the Parliament House at the juncture of the Constitution Avenue and the Jinnah Avenue.
Minister of State for Information Tariq Azeem is not interested in lodging an FIR against any journalists who attacked him while the government after lodging an FIR on Saturday reiterated on Sunday that strict action would be taken against those journalists who attacked the minister on Saturday.
Talking to The News on Saturday and Sunday, Azeem said the incidents which took place on Saturday were unfortunate. He said those who attacked him could not have been journalists. “Neither have I lodged any FIR against anybody nor do I want to do so. I don’t want any action against anyone and want this chapter to be closed,” he said.
On the other hand, sources in the interior ministry confided to The News that they had received strict orders from the higher authorities to take effective action against the journalists involved in the attack.
President Musharraf has decided to appoint Lt-Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani as his successor and it will be announced after the presidential election, claims Newsweek magazine.
The report of the US journal Newsweek said that although Kiyani has always kept a low public profile, people who have worked closely with him speak highly of his abilities – more highly in some cases than his boss might like. “Kiyani is not only a strong commander,” says a Western military official in Islamabad, asking not to be named on such a delicate topic, “he’s the most competent candidate by far.”
The Musharraf’s successor as military chief will need all the skill he can muster – and on several fronts at once. The Pentagon wants him to turn much of Pakistan’s military into a counterinsurgency force, trained and equipped to combat al-Qaeda and its extremist supporters along the Afghan border, the US journal said.
Prime Minister, Shaukat Aziz was stopped by the security officials from leaving the Election Commission office, as the situation outside further deteriorated, when the Federal State Minister, Tariq Azeem was mobbed by the violent crowd and subjected him to severe torture.
Earlier, the newsmen outside the Election Commission office were violently tackled and subjected to shelling, which further deteriorated the situation.
Later when the Punjab chief minister’s limousine came out from the Election Commission office, the journalist rushed to stop his vehicle for recording their protests against the police targeting them, but his driver speeding the car ran over the toes of a journalist, which once again infuriated the newsmen.
Thereafter, when the Prime Minister, Shaukat Aziz’s car started coming out of the building an explosion occurred and the security officials signaling his car to stop got the prime minister alighted from the car and hurriedly took him back inside the Election Commission office.
After some time, when the Minister of State, Tariq Azeem came out of the Election Commission office, he was surrounded by the enraged journalists and thrashed. The security officials rescuing him from the violent crowd packed him up in a pickup and sent him away from the scene
Police have thrashed newsmen covering scrutiny of the nomination papers of the presidential candidates in front of the Election Commission of Pakistan.
According to reports policemen used baton charge, teargas and pelted stones at newsmen causing injuries to several of them, while some of them were fainted in the police action.
Policemen also cut cables of media cameras and ordered newsmen to leave the area.
The Election Commission of Pakistan Saturday approved nomination papers of six candidates including President Musharraf, while the nominations of 37 candidates were rejected.
The lawyers have said they will challenge approval of Musharraf’s candidacy in court.
The Election Commission held scrutiny of the nomination papers of presidential candidates in Islamabad.
The Election Commission approved nomination papers of Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Justice (R) Wajihuddin Ahmed, President Musharraf, his covering candidates Chaudhry Amir Hussain and Muhammadmian Soomro and Amin Fahim’s covering candidate Faryal Talpur.
The Supreme Court ruled Friday that military ruler Pervez Musharraf can run in presidential polls next week while keeping his role as army chief, dealing a major blow to the opposition.
The court threw out a raft of legal challenges that argued that Musharraf was ineligible to stand for another five-year term in office in the October 6 election.
Opposition supporters threw rotten eggs and tomatoes at the imposing marble court building in Islamabad and chanted “Shame! Shame!” and “Go, Musharraf, go!” after the verdict was announced.
“The petitions hereby are dismissed as not maintainable” by a 6-3 majority, said Rana Bhagwandas, the head of the panel of nine judges hearing the petitions.
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