09 August 2013

IFJ and SAMSN Mourn Passing of I.H. Rashid, Veteran Leader of Pakistan Journalists

Media Release: Pakistan

August 9, 2013

The International

Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and partners in the South Asia Media Solidarity

Network (SAMSN) join colleagues in the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists

(PFUJ) in expressing deep grief at the passing of I.H. Rashid, veteran leader

of the country’s journalists and courageous campaigner for press freedom and

journalists’ rights.

Rashid died

in the city of Lahore on August 8 after a brief illness.

Rashid had

served three terms as president of the PFUJ, an IFJ affiliate and Pakistan’s

largest representative body of journalists, with its footprint in all provinces

and regions of the country. He was jailed for one year in 1978 during the

Zia-ul Haq military dictatorship for participating in the countrywide movement

for press freedom.

PFUJ

President Pervaiz Shaukat and Secretary-General Amin Yousaf have expressed

their grief over Rashid’s passing.

Aside from

his courageous leadership of the movement against military repression of the

press, Rashid was also remembered for his active participation in the wage

board process, to obtain a fair deal for Pakistan’s journalists.

Rashid began

his career in journalism in 1951. He served as chief reporter for the Pakistan

Times and later as bureau chief for Dawn. He continued writing for Dawn even

after retirement.

The IFJ and

SAMSN join the PFUJ in paying homage to Rashid’s lifelong commitment to

democratic values and press freedom.

The IFJ

represents more than 600,000 journalists in 131 countries

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the IFJ on Twitter: @ifjasiapacific

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