Al-Jazeera story: from the Daily Mirror to Peshawar

Posted by Bertrand Pecquerie on November 29, 2005 at 11:25 AM

Received from Ehsan Ahmed Sehar, convenor of the Rural Media Network in Pakistan about the latest Al-Jazeera story. It begun with an article in a British newspaper last week, it spreads all over the world and now it reaches Peshawar in one of the most remote parts of Pakistan. Good case study about globalization (and anti-Americanism).

"Like other parts of the country, media persons in Peshawar staged a protest demonstration to condemn the statement of US President Bush and UK Prime Minster Tony Blair regarding attacks on Al-Jazeera offices..."

Led by senior journalist Qaiser Mehmud Bhutt and president Peshawar Press Club Mohammad Riaz the demonstrators first held a meeting in press club and then staged a protest march.

In his address to the protest gathering Qaiser Butt condemned the statement and said perhaps it might be published in order to pressurise the news channel. "But, wherever anyone issues a statement that affects freedom of the rights of expression, we would resist it," he vowed.

In his address president of Peshawar Press Club Mohammad Riaz termed the rulers as puppet of US government, saying that the government should also raise its voice against the unjust statement.

Later, holding banners and chanting anti-Bush and Blair slogans the journalists carried out a protest march on the road and then dispersed peacefully."

Source: Ehsan Ahmed Sehar report

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