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US reprimands Pak over press crackdown

The United States has reacted sharply against the Pakistan government's crackdown on the domestic press and asked for the immediate release of all arrested journalists, including Friday Times editor Najam Sethi.

In a written statement titled 'Pakistan: attacks on journalists', state department spokesman James P Rubin yesterday said that Islamabad should ''immediately terminate this unacceptable crackdown on members of the journalist community in Pakistan''.

''We have raised our concerns with the government and will continue to monitor the situation closely,'' he added. He said these actions on the part of the government of Pakistan were ''certain to raise serious doubts within the international community about the commitment of the government to freedom of the press and the rule of law.''

During the past two weeks, Sethi and several colleagues had been ''physically mistreated, subjected to threatening calls and had personal property destroyed,'' Rubin remarked.

Pakistani foreign journalists in the United States have called for an 'organised effort' by democratic groups, human rights organisations and media watch institutions to secure the release of Sethi and other media persons.

UNI

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