Respected YBM Sahib !
May I draw your kind attention to email dated 15-07-2009 which was sent to you & circulated among various quartets as per your demand, the last line of which interaila say " If any word or sentence written by us, in your opinion is biased against your person or your T.V. channel, we would be ready to issue clarification without any delay.."
And you also in your email in your own word agitated the following words "statement released by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) based on the email sent by Maheen Usmani, “contains one sided, preemptive remarks” and “the resignation cum complaint carries distortion of facts angled to malign individuals by an outgoing reporter.I regret to say that this act of PFUJ was done in haste and without opting for any due process and credible enquiry,”
So dear, we are eagerly waiting for your response !
Secretary General
PAKISTAN FEDERAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS
12-Nazimuddin Road, F-6/1,
Islamabad, Pakistan.
Phone Office +92(0)51 2870220-1
Facsimile +92(0)51 2870223
Cellular +92(0)300 8665523
http://www.pfuj.info
From: sinaz777@hotmail.com
To: ybmirza@dunyatv.tv
CC: ybmirza@gmail.com
Subject: Resignation email circulated by PFUJ with one sided and preemptive remarks without proving the matter
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:05:42 +0600
Respected YBM Sahib !
An e mail on the subject cited as above was received, which to the best of my understanding, portrays your feeling that the “statement released by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) based on the email sent by Maheen Usmani, “contains one sided, preemptive remarks” and “the resignation cum complaint carries distortion of facts angled to malign individuals by an outgoing reporter."
Without any prejudice to your remarks, "I regret to say that this act of PFUJ was done in haste and without opting for any due process and credible enquiry,” I humbly submit with utmost respect to you, sir, that we neither expressed any opinion of our own, nor passed any judgment, verdict or remarks against any one including your worthy self.
We have not asked for anything more than what you have demanded, sir, i.e. holding of a credible enquiry which any respectable person, such as you, would want to be held . An independent and fair inquiry is the best way to vindicate the honour of both the parties involved in this dispute.
It must be in your knowledge, sir, that the email sent by your Director Current Affairs Ms Nasim Zahra, was also circulated without any deletion, editing and without any hesitation.
Similarly, your earlier letter dated 4-7-2009 was also circulated without any change, editing, deletion or addition of a single word or coma.
Following the same tradition, sir, your present email is also going to be circulated without any change.
May I assure you, sir, that the proposal made by the PFUJ and then supported by the IFJ to hold an impartial enquiry was not at all based on malice or ill will against you.
I would like to further assure you for your satisfaction, sir, that if any word or sentence written by us, in your opinion is biased against your person or your T.V. channel, we would be ready to issue clarification without any delay.
With the best of regards, yours truly,
Shamsul Islam Naz
Secretary General
PAKISTAN FEDERAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS
12-Nazimuddin Road, F-6/1,
Islamabad, Pakistan.
Phone Office +92(0)51 2870220-1
Facsimile +92(0)51 2870223
Cellular +92(0)300 8665523
http://www.pfuj.info
Subject: : Resignation email circulated by PFUJ with one sided and preemptive remarks without proving the matter
Date: Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:11:49 +06
Dear Sahmsul Islam Naz Sb,
I am in receipt of your email where you have appended my letter written to you and to the President PFUJ on July 4th, 2009. I am thankful for your response, however, it doesn’t serve the purpose of a rejoinder. The damage was done because PFUJ took one sided position / action which remains unaddressed. PFUJ is a credible organization and need to keep it neutrally and credibility maintained at all cost. I would like to reiterate that the action taken by PFUJ (also appended in the email sent by you and highlighted in red) contains one sided and preemptive remarks added by PFUJ to a resignation cum complaint. This resignation cum complaint contains distortion and fabrication of facts angled to malign and defame individuals by an outgoing reporter.
I regret to say that this act of PFUJ was done in haste and without opting for any due process of credible inquiry. Furthermore, PFUJ made it a point to widely circulate this email (as was done by Ms. Maheen Usmani ) to people who had no relevance to the matter. Unfortunately PFUJ did not seek a reply from the top management of the Network, i.e. the CEO / Chairman of the company who is the owner of the Channel and has very high stakes in all respects in the project and would certainly not like at any cost to undermine and compromise the credibility and the repute of the company for the sake of any individual / s. We all understand there is a face hiding behind this malicious campaign, which has already been exposed to all.
May I add here that Ms. Maheen Usmani has been served with Legal Notice in this respect.
In view if the above I strongly request that a rejoinder be issued by PFUJ addressed to all those to whom the initial and subsequent emails were circulated highlighting the actual situation that PFUJ did not enquire in to the matter and forwarded the email without checking the facts on ground which is regretted. This would put the record straight.
With Best Regards,
Yousaf Baig Mirza
POPULAR FEMALE BROADCASTER RESIGNS ALLEGES HARASSMENT(Management point of view) A statement was issued by the PFUJ on the subject cited above on 27th June 2009,opening paragraph of which was as under: “Journalists fight for the rights of others, but how can they do that when their own rights are not protected and are trampled upon at will by some shady characters. “Harassment of female members in the workplace has always been a problem raised by the electronic and print media, but what happens when the guardians of women’s rights themselves indulge in unprofessional and disgusting behavior? “This seems to be the case of a certain TV channel whose CEO allegedly not only allows such incidents to take place, but also makes it a point to punish the woman involved for her right to complain against such issues at work”. The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) is in receipt of a complaint from a female broadcaster/ correspondent, “Dunya News”, - Maheen Usmani, who tendered her resignation owing to harassment.” {the rest was text of the email without any editing, alteration, addition & deletion).The last Para of the same was as under:
“The PFUJ urged the President, Prime Minister, Chief Justice of Pakistan, the International Federation of Journalists, Civil Society activists to take notice of increasing incident of young women crews’ harassment at TV channels at hands of media manager enjoying top executive position in these channels.”Thereafter on 30th June another release was issued by the PFUJ – title as “Female broadcaster seeks reshaped inquiry committee”……The rest of the text was a letter of Ms Maheen Usmani for seeking recomposition of the inquiry committee while the supporting Para of the PFUJ for Ms Maheen plea runs as under:-
“The Secretary General of the PFUJ Mr. Shamsul Islam Naz, urged upon the women members of the parliament, human rights organizations, NGO's and civil society to support the just demand of Maheen Usmani for open Inquiry comprising of independent persons and having repute of integrity.”
Yet another statement was issued on 01-07-09 by theInternational Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on the subject TV Channel Management Must Show Sensitivity in Sexual Harassment Case in Pakistan. On the basis of a Media release issued by the PFUJ. The IFJ through this release demanded that “The IFJ stands in full support of the PFUJ in this case and endorses its argument that an independent committee cannot contain people directly involved in the allegations. “We will follow this case closely, since as the PFUJ informs us, it involves not merely the profession of journalism, but the safeguards that all working women in the country can rely upon”.
In the meantime, a email was received to us from Nasim Zehra, Director Current Affairs, Dunya News, Islamabad on 30-0609whereupon we issued another Media Release on the same day with opening Para as under :-
“Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has welcomed the decision of the Dunya News’s Management for taking serious notice of the harassment allegations leveled by a POPULAR FEMALE BROADCASTER Maheen Usmani and resigning from a service.” {the rest of the statement was text of the Nasim Zehra} while the last Para of {PFUJ release says “ The PFUJ taking notice of the contention of the Dunya News Director Current Affairs, reiterated it demand that the matter should be enquired though “independent Commission”, as the prestige and honour of the T.V. channel is also at stake owing to serious allegations, of harassment of a female journalist Ms. Maheen Usmani, who had expressed her no confidence upon a committee constituted by the Management.”
Thereafter a number of journalists, intellectual, opinion makers, and people belonging various walk of life opened a debate on this issue. Other day I received a courier letter from Mr. Yousaf Baig Mirza, Managing Director, Dunya Television Network, on the subject mater, however, on my request head also mailed me the same though e-mail which read as under:-
July 4, 2009
Mr. Shamsul Islam Naz
Secretary General,
Pakistan Federal Union of Journalist,
12- Nazimuddin Road, F-6/1,
Islamabad, Pakistan.
Subject: One-sided stance of PFUJ by widely circulating the resignation/complaint filed by Ms. Usmani
"This is with reference to the resignation emailed by Ms. Maheen Usmani on the 15th of June, 2009. On the receipt of this email, it was extensively forwarded with one sided comments by the prestigious office of PFUJ to a large number of forums, government officials, private media and other individuals. This document is circulated without making an appropriate inquiry, understanding the whole issue or listening to the other side manifests the inclined stance of PFUJ regarding this subject.
I, being a part of the media fraternity, hold PFUJ in very high esteem. The body has rendered valuable services for the cause of journalist community and must therefore be respected. But it was disappointing to see that in all sheerness, PFUJ has unfortunately acted in haste without probing into the matter or without knowing the background and understanding of this issue in its entirety. The matter has been blown up, politicized and publicized by distorting and twisting the facts; only to scandalize certain entities.
I was never contacted or consulted by the PFUJ on the matter before issuing this letter. I very profoundly wish that PFUJ would have at least for once made an initial inquiry before hurriedly jumping on to a predisposed conclusion generating a one sided email. I am convinced that it was unintentional oversight on part of PFUJ and was only done in a spur of the moment without rationally analyzing a highly emotional, verbose and angled email of resignation by Ms. Maheen Usmani. It is formidable for the whole media fraternity how this whole farce has been developed on the motives by an individual or a group of people hiding behind this malicious campaign.
I am sure that PFUJ in order to maintain their impartiality and credibility would not like to take any sides without knowing the facts of the case. I therefore, hereby request the prestigious office of PFUJ, keeping in view what the justice & fairness demand, that no verdict should be given without impartially taking into consideration the complete case, gathering undistorted facts and knowing the other side of the story. I therefore request a rejoinder to be issued (to same people to whom the previous email was sent) as a corrigendum by your office that PFUJ regrets to circulate this email."
I look forward to hear from you on this matter.
Thanking you,
Yours sincerely,
Yousaf Baig Mirza, Managing Director, Dunya Television Network. Mobile # 0300 555 9 222, 0344 999 0 999
ybmirza@gmail.com, ybmirza@dunyatv.tv
Without prejudice the PFUJ is of the view that it had not so far “given any verdict” about the “allegations of Ms Maheen Usmani”. But according to the words of Mr. YBM “justice & fairness demand, that no verdict should be given without impartiality taking into consideration the complete case, gathering undistorted facts and knowing the other side of the story”. The same contention was raised by Ms. Nasim Zehra “Dunya News takes such allegations seriously and hence an Inquiry Committee was immediately initiated.”
Without giving any opinion or passing any judgment we are looking forward of out come of this incident by an “Inquiry Committee”, comprising of independent persons and known for their integrity, honesty, and credibility. In the meantime, I urge upon colleagues not to jump in the debate and pass any “verdict” in “favour or, or against” “any one”.
Shamsul Islam Naz
Secretary General
PAKISTAN FEDERAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS
12-Nazimuddin Road, F-6/1,
Islamabad, Pakistan.
Phone Office +92(0)51 2870220-1
Facsimile +92(0)51 2870223
Cellular +92(0)300 8665523
http://www.pfuj.info
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