Govt's action against against Jang condemned
By our correspondent
HYDERABAD: Strongly condemning the attitude of the government against the Jang Group of Newspapers, Jamaat-e-Islami, Hyderabad, on Monday termed it a deep conspiracy to sabotage the democracy and harass the press.
A press statement issued by the JI, Hyderabad, said: "This practice by the government against the Jang Group amounts to manipulation of freedom of expression enjoyed by the press." Amir Jamaat-e-Islami, Hyderabad, Mushtaq Ahmed Khan, in his statement said that the press played a positive role in the development of a democratic society. He alleged that those who dreamt of fascism created obstacles and hurdles in the way of democracy and freedom of the press.
He alleged that such steps had also been taken by late Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who made publication of newspapers during his civil rule impossible. He said that the incumbent rulers had surpassed Zulfiqar Bhutto in their hostility for press.
He asked the rulers, who wanted to punish Jang for not paying full taxes, why they had accepted the price of the Bilawal House owned by Benazir Bhutto as Rs 30 lakh only. He said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif spoke about the Surrey Palace from the assembly but did not take any step against Benazir Bhutto for not mentioning the Surrey Palace at the time of declaring her assets in Pakistan.
He said that the government's action against the Jang Group was the result of the publication of a report issued by The Observer, London, regarding the corruption done by Nawaz Sharif. He said that the attitude of Senator Saif-ur-Rehman against the Jang Group shows that he was trying to stop the publication of the group's newspapers.