Journalist ordered released

A Pakistani journalist, Sarwar Mujahid, detained since 31 July on charges of "inciting public opinion", was ordered to be released by the provincial high court of Punjab on Wednesday, according to his lawyer. "The high court observed that the detention order of the government is not supported by any evidence that Mujahid's activities were anti-state or contrary to public peace. And on the basis of mere allegations and apprehensions, liberty of a person can't be curtailed and hence the court set aside the detention order of the Punjab government," Azam Nazeer Tarar, lawyer for the journalist, told IRIN from the eastern city of Lahore, capital of Punjab province, on Friday. Sarwar Mujahid, a correspondent of the Urdu-language daily 'Nawa-i-Waqt' was detained for 90 days under section three of the Public Maintenance Order (PMO) ordinance following his reporting on a controversial conflict between paramilitary forces and tenants of military farms in Punjab's Okara district. The Okara dispute is between Pakistani paramilitaries and peasant farmers. For generations, the farmers have been cultivating land belonging to the army, now the military wants them off the land or redeployed as wage labourers. The authorities say the farmers are being uncooperative and have been given due notice to quit, while the farmers claim they have the right to remain on the land and that they are the victims of human rights abuses. But Mujahid was not yet a free man by late on Friday. Sahiwal prison authorities are waiting for the court order before releasing the reporter. "The court release orders, which we received are nameless, so we are approaching the authorities for a clear statement, when we get that, Sarwar will be released - probably tomorrow [Saturday]," Sheikh Aqeel, the deputy superintendent at Sahiwal Jail, told IRIN from Sahiwal, on Friday. Mujahid was also detained last year for two months under an anti-terrorism law for his coverage of the Okara military land dispute. However, he was later released by the Lahore anti-terrorism court. Human rights activists including the international journalists' rights watchdog, Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans Frontièrs - RSF), have been pushing the government for the journalist's release. "The extended detention of this journalist casts serious doubts on the capacity of the Pakistani media to freely cover the activities of the military and the paramilitaries," RSF said in a letter to the provincial Chief Minister of Punjab earlier this month.