Karachi, 21 Dec. (AKI/Syed Saleem Shahzad) - A Pakistani district and session court in the southern port city of Karachi on Thursday framed charges of defamation against the editor in chief of The Star newspaper, Kamal Majidullah, chief correspondent Syed Saleem Shahzad and crime reporter Ralph D. Cruzon, under the highly controversial Pakistani Criminal Defamation Law. Majidullah, Shahzad and Cruzon are on pre-arrest bail and could face imprisonment under the law.
The lawsuit against the three journalists was filed by the leader of Pakistan's Muttahida Quami Movement, a party in the ruling coalition, Anwar Alam. The Star was the oldest English language evening daily of the prestigious Dawn Group of Newspapers but shut down on 2 December, 2006. Though there is no official reason for the closure of the 53-year-old publication, pressure by the government coalition partner was allegedly key.
The Star ran a story on its front page last year about the alleged links between underworld mafia king pin, late Shoiab Khan and members of the Muttahida Quami Movement. Shoiab Khan was also a point man of terror suspect Dawood Ibrahim, a wanted criminal by the US State Department. Although Pakistan denies any knowledge of his existence, Interpol has provided a list of his Pakistani addresses and passport numbers.
International media organizations like the Committee to Protect Journalists condemned current legislation enabling the criminal law suit to be brought forward as a bid to prevent Pakistani journalists from writing the truth, especially since the 11 September 2001 attacks on the United States.
"It is a principle stance taken by the International Federation of Journalists as well as by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists that everybody has a right to file cases for defamation and can claim damages, but it should be of a civil nature. We are against criminal defamation laws and consider these against press freedom,” commented the central secretary general of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalist, Mazhar Abbas.
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan secretary general, Iqbal Haider, has also condemned the case and termed it unfair.
“It is unfair on the part of any body to file criminal cases against working journalists. These sort of cases always harm the initiative to report the truth." said Haiderl. "If somebody has reservations on a report, a civil remedy under the law is the most appropriate one under which any aggrieved party can get justice through claiming damages," he continued.
"In addition, if a report exposes kidnappers, extortionists and killers it is a service to society and it should be encouraged and preventing such reportage through criminal court proceedings is in baith faith," Iqbal Haider maintained.
