President Dr Arif Alvi Friday wrote another letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif asking him to direct the ministries and departments concerned to protect journalists and media persons from harassment, physical abuse and violence. The president also attached a letter received from anchorperson Arshad Sharif in which drew the president’s attention towards the incidents of harassment. The anchor’s letter quoted a few eminent journalists and information gathered by him through different sources. The president said, “the Constitution urges the state to provide due rights and protection to individuals. Pakistan has always strived to do so, but in the case of journalists and media persons, if they feel pressurized, fair criticism within the bounds of law, freedom of expression and then democracy itself is threatened”.
The anchor alleged that some unscrupulous elements were threatening to endanger his life and requested the president to safeguard his fundamental rights as enshrined in Articles 4, 9, 10A, 14, 18, 19 and 19A of the Constitution of Pakistan. In the first letter written to the prime minister on July 7, Alvi expressed his deep concern over the increasing trend of harassment and torture of journalists and media personnel in the country.
