PROTEST AGAINST MURDER OF SYED SALEEM SHEHZAD

Institute for Peace and Secular Studies (IPSS) held a protest, in front of Lahore Press Club to condemn the kidnapping and brutal killing of journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad. The protestors demanded that perpetrators of this heinous crime be brought to justice and that the state must ensure protection to journalists against the harassment of security agencies. They also demanded that the free reign given to the rogue elements within military establishment and security agencies be taken back and such rouge elements which support religious extremists and militants be purged from state structures.

IPSS demands an independent probe to determine the identity of elements behind the brutal murder. It also demands an end to the National Security Paradigm that has destroyed the fabric of Pakistani society and had generated militancy and religious extremism. The unlimited powers handed over to security agencies as a result of this paradigm are a main reason behind such events. IPSS demands that the state should ensure all of its citizens the fundamental constitutional rights ensuring Right to Life and Freedom of Speech.