Press Trust Of India Saturday, June 16, 2007
Islamabad: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Friday asked the media to stop "abusing freedom" and not to create a sense of "despondency" among the masses. Musharraf had to recently withdraw a controversial ordinance, which had imposed sweeping curbs on the media in the wake of his confrontation with suspended chief justice Iftikar M Chaudhry.
Media freedom is undoubtedly important but news organisations should also fulfil their responsibility, the President said while addressing a joint gathering of officers of Pakistan Air Force and Navy at the Air Headquarters.
The media should present a positive image of the country and highlight issues of national importance, the General outlined. It should avoid highlighting negative aspects and must not create a sense of despondency among the masses, he said, adding that it would amount to abusing freedom.
His remarks followed withdrawal of the ordinance empowering officials to seal the premises of TV channels and seize their equipment.
The Pakistan President once again distanced himself from the reference against Chief Justice Chaudhry saying that he had nothing to do with it and has forwarded the charges by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and the government.
He said it was a purely legal issue and added that the president was bound to send it to the Supreme Judicial Council for due legal process. "It is a sensitive matter." "The Supreme Court is the only deciding authority and its decision will be binding on everyone," he said.
Referring to the issue of radical cleric of Lal Masjid, who was threatening to impose Shariah law in Islamabad, Musharraf said law and order would be maintained at all costs. Warning Lal Masjid clerics against taking the government's prudence as its weakness, he said if the present situation continued, use of force would be the only option left. Meanwhile... Gen seeks re-election in uniform in Sept: minister Islamabad: NOTWITHSTANDING the threats of the Opposition to resign en mass, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf will go ahead with his plan to seek re-election in uniform between September and October this year, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Khan Niazi said on Friday. Ex-minister charged with harming Canadian ISLAMABAD: Former Cabinet minister Shahid Jamil Qureshi was charged with 'harming' Kafila Siddiqui, a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin, who died at the minister's house, police chief Zafar Iqbal said. "She was kept by him at his home against her will." Gunmen kill 9 soldiers, police in south-west Pak QUETTA: Gunmen opened fire on government troops in a southwestern Pakistani city killing seven soldiers and two policemen, police said.
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