DATE=5/8/99
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
NUMBER=2-249128
TITLE=PAK JOURNALIST ARREST (L)
BYLINE=SCOTT ANGER
DATELINE=ISLAMABAD
CONTENT=
VOICED AT: (RE-RUNNING; NO CHANGES)
INTRO: PAKISTANI POLICE HAVE ARRESTED A PROMINENT NEWSPAPER
EDITOR IN A CONTINUING CRACKDOWN ON JOURNALISTS WHO ARE CRITICAL
OF THE GOVERNMENT. AS V-O-A CORRESPONDENT SCOTT ANGER REPORTS,
THE ARREST COMES JUST DAYS AFTER A NEW YORK-BASED JOURNALIST'S
RIGHTS GROUP ISSUED A LETTER TO THE PAKISTANI GOVERNMENT
PROTESTING WHAT IT CALLS A CAMPAIGN OF INTIMIDATION AND
HARASSMENT.
TEXT: POLICE HAVE ARRESTED NAJAM SETHI, EDITOR OF THE
ENGLISH-LANGUAGE WEEKLY -- THE FRIDAY TIMES -- WHICH HAS BEEN A
SHARP CRITIC OF PRIME MINISTER NAWAZ SHARIF'S GOVERNMENT. MR.
SETHI'S WIFE, JOURNALIST JUGNU MOHSIN, SAYS POLICE BROKE INTO
THEIR BEDROOM EARLY SATURDAY MORNING TO ARREST HIM.
///MOHSIN ACT///
THEY CLUBBED HIM ON THE HANDS VERY SEVERELY, DRAGGED HIM
OUT OF BED AND HIT HIM WITH THE CLUBS. I SAID, WHERE IS
HIS WARRANT? AND HE (THE POLICE) SAID, YOU WANT A
WARRANT, I'LL GIVE YOU HIS DEAD BODY IF YOU WANT A
WARRANT.
///END ACT///
IN A WRITTEN STATEMENT FOLLOWING THE ARREST, THE GOVERNMENT SAID
MR. SETHI IS SUSPECTED OF LINKS WITH INDIAN INTELLIGENCE AGENTS
-- AND THAT HE WILL BE QUESTIONED ABOUT ANTI-PAKISTAN STATEMENTS
HE ALLEGEDLY MADE DURING A RECENT VISIT TO INDIA.
BUT MS. MOHSIN SAYS HER HUSBAND'S STATEMENTS HAVE BEEN TAKEN OUT
OF CONTEXT. SHE SAYS HIS SPEECH IN NEW DELHI WAS NO DIFFERENT
THAN OTHER SPEECHES HE HAS MADE AROUND THE WORLD.
RECENT EDITORIAL COLUMNS BY MR. SETHI IN THE FRIDAY TIMES HAVE
ACCUSED PRIME MINISTER SHARIF AND HIS ACCOUNTABILITY CHIEF,
SAIFUR REHMAN, OF DEFAULTING ON BANK LOANS WORTH MILLIONS OF
DOLLARS.
MS. MOHSIN SAYS SHE BELIEVES HER HUSBAND HAS BEEN ARRESTED
BECAUSE HE WAS INTERVIEWED FOR A BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION
TELEVISION DOCUMENTARY, WHICH IS PROFILING ALLEGED WRONG-DOINGS
OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND HIS RELATIVES.
///MOHSIN ACT TWO/// /// OPT ACT ///
I KNOW THAT MY HUSBAND WAS EXTENSIVELY INTERVIEWED BY
THE B-B-C TEAM SINCE HE WAS CARETAKER MINISTER FOR
ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE CARETAKER GOVERNMENT FROM 1996 TO
1997. I KNOW THAT HE GAVE THEM (B-B-C) AN EXTENSIVE
INTERVIEW AND SINCE THAT DAY, FOR THE LAST 12 DAYS, WE
HAVE RECEIVED THREAT AFTER THREAT (FROM THE GOVERNMENT).
///END ACT/// /// END OPT ACT ///
/// OPT /// DURING AN INTERVIEW THURSDAY, MR. SETHI SAID THE
GOVERNMENT FEARED HE HAD INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE OF DOCUMENTS
DETAILING ALLEGED CORRUPTION BY PRIME MINISTER SHARIF AND HIS
FAMILY -- AND THAT HE WOULD SHARE THOSE DOCUMENTS WITH THE B-B-C.
BUT, HE SAYS, HE ONLY GAVE THE B-B-C INFORMATION WHICH HAD
ALREADY BEEN PUBLISHED IN HIS NEWSPAPER COLUMNS. /// END OPT ///
MR. SETHI'S ARREST FOLLOWS A SERIES OF INCIDENTS INVOLVING
JOURNALISTS CRITICAL OF THE GOVERNMENT. A WRITER FOR THE FRIDAY
TIMES, M-A LODHI WAS RECENTLY DETAINED FOR TWO-DAYS FOLLOWING AN
INTERVIEW HE GAVE TO THE B-B-C TELEVISION TEAM.
/// OPT /// ALSO, COLUMNIST HUSSAIN HAQQANI, WHO WRITES FOR THE
FRIDAY TIMES AND OTHER ENGLISH-LANGUAGE PUBLICATIONS, DISAPPEARED
FOR MORE THAN 24-HOURS LAST WEEK BEFORE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
ACKNOWLEDGED HIS ARREST. HIS LAWYER SAYS NO FORMAL CHARGES HAVE
BEEN BROUGHT AGAINST MR. HAQQANI, AND NO ONE OUTSIDE THE
GOVERNMENT HAS SEEN HIM SINCE HIS ARREST. /// END OPT ///
MALEEHA LODHI, AN EDITOR AT PAKISTAN'S LARGEST DAILY
ENGLISH-LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER -- THE NEWS -- SAYS SHE FEARS THERE
ARE DANGEROUS TIMES AHEAD FOR JOURNALISTS IN PAKISTAN WHO
CRITICIZE THE GOVERNMENT.
///LODHI ACT///
THIS IS INTOLERANCE ACROSS THE BOARD. THIS IS NOT JUST
INTOLERANCE OF STORIES SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THEM (THE
GOVERNMENT). THIS IS INTOLERANCE ABOUT ANY TYPE OF
CRITIQUE OF THE WAY THIS GOVERNMENT FUNCTIONS. CLEARLY,
PAKISTAN IS MOVING TOWARDS A FASCIST DICTATORSHIP. MR.
SHARIF IS FOLLOWING A RATHER UNSPECTACULAR TRADITION
WHERE HE WANTS TO HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO OPPOSITION, NO
DISSENT -- NO CRITICISM OF HIS GOVERNMENT.
///END ACT///
IN ITS LETTER TO PRIME MINISTER SHARIF, THE NEW YORK-BASED
COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS SAYS IT IS ALARMED THAT SO MANY
JOURNALISTS HAVE BEEN DETAINED, HARASSED AND ARRESTED IN RECENT
DAYS. THE RIGHTS GROUP HAS CALLED FOR THE PRIME MINISTER TO TAKE
ACTION TO STOP WHAT IT CALLS A WAVE OF GOVERNMENT-SPONSORED
ATTACKS AGAINST THE NEWS MEDIA IN PAKISTAN.
MEANWHILE, PAKISTAN'S FEDERAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS HAS CALLED FOR
A DAY OF PROTEST IN THE COUNTRY NEXT WEEK (EDS: DATE UNCERTAIN)
(SIGNED)
NEB/SA/GE
08-May-99 11:16 AM EDT (1516 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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