Pakistan to enact law to protect journalists

In view of risks faced by journalists in Pakistan, the country’s government has taken an initiative to frame a law to protect the media professionals.

Pakistan’s federal minister for information and broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry has said his ministry is planning to table a bill in the National Assembly for the protection of journalists, reports Express Tribune.

He was addressing an awards ceremony organised by Centre of Excellence in Journalism at the IBA in Karachi on Tuesday.

The minister was quoted to have said he was also working on providing health insurance to working journalists, and was committed to safeguarding the interests of journalists in Pakistan.

According to the newspaper, Pakistan remains a country where journalists risk injury, death, kidnapping or detention in their efforts to hold those in power or authority to account.

Referring to a Freedom Network report, it mentioned that at least 26 journalists were killed for their work during the last five years.

Similarly, as per the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 53 journalists were killed in 2018 worldwide. At least 19 of these deaths reportedly occurred in South Asia.

Meanwhile, a report said, president of Rural Media Network Pakistan (RMNP) Ehsan Ahmed Sehar has welcomed the information minister’s statement regarding the protection of journalists and urged him to take all stakeholders on board making a decision in parliament.

The RMNP president vowed to continue their struggle for the safety of journalists in Pakistan, it added.