By Muniba Ali
Lahore, Dec 8 (Pak Destiny) Infighting among the members of the Lahore Press Club has brought the institution in disrepute.
Ahead of 2014 club election, the LPC has been in the spotlight as its administration has suspended the membership of some ‘rival’ group’s members thus triggering a controversy.
The fight between the sacked members and the administration is being fought on ‘Social Media’.
Mian Dawood – Reporter of The Nation – in a letter to Pak Destiny says his and Ayaz Chaudhry, an assignment editor in Dunya TV, membership has been suspended by LPC president Arshad Ansari allegedly uploading a page against the sitting elected body on the Facebook.
Earlier, the membership of Asif Butt and Habib Chohan were cancelled by Mr Ansari in 2012 for raising voice for the rights and plots of 295 members of the LPC, he said.
Mian Daud says As per LPC disciplinary committee headed by journalist Shafiq Awan on Sept 18 issued a show-cause notice to him over an allegation of uploading a page against LPC body on the Facebook.
“I submitted a reply in detail to the LPC manager within three days and tried to explain that I had not uploaded the controversial page, but wrote comments against the page and in favor of LPC body,” he said, adding the committee didn’t give him an opportunity of personal hearing.
The LPC Governing Body on Nov 13 held its meeting and cancelled the membership of Mian Dawood by producing a fake page against him in the body’s meeting.
“Similarly, the body also suspended the membership of Ayaz Chaudhry and then issued him show cause notice to file reply in response of a page criticizing LPC body”.
Dawood said the LPC president led governing body had nurtured a ‘political grudge’ with him during the PFUJ’s elections held in Karachi in October.
“The page produced in governing body meeting and attached with show cause notice are two different things. Actually, Shafiq Awan and Arshad Ansari pressured me and my friends not to cast vote for Rana Azeem in PFUJ’s elections,” Dawood maintained.
“When I refused to bow before the pressure, Arshad Ansari and Shafiq Awan cancelled my membership on the basis of self-prepared page,” he said.
Ayaz said there were ample proofs about the involvement of Arshad Ansari in occupying the poor journalists’ plots situated in Journalists Housing Foundation, Lahore.
“No one put curb on freedom of expression and not a single word has been written in Lahore Press Club’s constitution restraining its members from criticize the LPC body on social media,” he said.
LPC however has denied the allegations and defended the suspension of the members for “defaming the LPC on social media.” – Pak Destiny
This is one of the worst attitude of Arshad Ansari and Shafiq Awan against professional journalist. It is also shameful for all journalist community that a President of a press club illegally occupying the plots and houses of poor journalists.
Arshad Ansari and Shafiq Awan have proved themselves as media dictators. Where in world an action has been taken over using the facebook? Why they feared from Mian Dawood? Injustice.. Injustice.. Injustice.. We are with Mian Dawood, Asif Butt, Ayaz Chaudhry and Habib Chohan
Respected President Arshad Ansari, do you still believe that on moral grounds you was on right way when you was cancelling my membership over a fake page? I hope advisers of Arshad Ansari would bring more insult for him.
Cancellation and Suspensions of memberships of four journalists have proved that You were guilty, you are guilty and if you don’t take back your decisions you would be on guilty way..
Its a bias Journalist group led by Mian dawood etc. Out of almost 1500 journalists more than 1300 voted for Arshad Ansari sb and this proves it all. Mr Ansari is the one who initiated the housing scheme in the first place! Again this is a MEGA slap on that little bias group! And another SLAP is yet to come in the coming elections.