Tensions between journalists and the government augmented on Tuesday as all journalists from the private media boycotted a function at the PM’s Secretariat. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani was to inaugurate Federal Medical and Dental College in the federal capital at PIMS.
Later, journalists were informed that the venue of the launching ceremony had been changed and shifted to the PM’s Secretariat. However, despite the lapse of around one-and-a-half-hour, the function did not start as participants were told that the prime minister was busy. This infuriated the media personnel who decided to boycott the function.
The government and media relations have been strained due to the government’s inaction over journalists’ demand of a probe commission to investigate the killing of Saleem Shehzad. The federal union of journalists has announced a two-day sit-in outside the Parliament House starting on Wednesday to press for their demands.
