“The problems faced by journalists today are the same as they were 68 years ago and they will remain, until and unless confronted wilfully,” said TV anchor Mubashir Luqman. He was speaking at a session, titled Freedom of Expression, on the first day of the International Media Conference.

The two-day conference, organised by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), started on Saturday at the Pearl Continental Hotel and aims to question the media’s credibility and practices in today’s global politics.

“The notion that media is the fourth pillar of the state is nostalgic,” Lucman asserted. “If it were, it would have a stake in making the policies.”

He delivered a list of hindrances that journalists face while working in different parts of the country. “In Karachi, one cannot objectively report without being confronted with bullets or abuses,” he said. Speaking about the Punjab, he said there was a severe sectarian issue in the province. “Whenever I did a story on the Shia killings in Quetta, I received subtle threats from Malik Ishaq, the leader of a banned militant organisation.” With regard to the violence-prone parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Fata and Balochistan, Luqman lamented that most of these areas were no-go zones. “You cannot report about the militants or the military.”

A number of working journalists, including Mazhar Abbas, Salman Ghani and Maria Memon attended, hosted and moderated the hours-long sessions discussing various issues. The programme was also attended by representatives of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

IFJ president Jim Boumelha, in his presentation, sought protection for journalists. “In two-thirds of the cases, the killers were identified,” he said, adding that murder was considered an easy tool to eliminate journalists and silence their voice. Jim was of the opinion that journalists enjoyed same rights as civilians but they needed more protection because they worked in conflict zones.

Speaking on the occasion, PFUJ president Rana Muhammad Azeem gave some numbers of journalists’ casualties. “135 journalists have been killed, over 100 tortured after being kidnapped, while 1,372 were injured on duty.” He, however, did not give the timeline of the data.

Express Tribune

CC: Amina J. Mohammed, Assistant Secretary General

Dear Mr. Secretary General,

We write to you as a coalition of civil society organisations committed to sustainable development, to urge you to highlight the importance of the right to information, free media, and the protection of civil society organisations’ ability to organise and engage in your upcoming stocktaking report on the Sustainable Development Goals to the General Assembly.

We welcome your recent announcement on the creation of an Independent Expert Advisory Group on the Data Revolution for Sustainable Development. However, as experts and practitioners in the field, we feel strongly that the data revolution cannot succeed without substantial improvement in the openness of governments to their people and an improved and enabling environment for civic space that allow individuals, civil society and communities to know, speak, engage and operate freely. To achieve this, the rights to freedom of information, free media, freedom of association, and freedom of peaceful assembly must be fully recognised and enabled.

The importance of these rights has been recognised in the Millennium Declaration, the Rio+ 20 declaration and numerous UN papers. These rights are also highlighted in the report of the High Level Panel of Eminent Persons and in the recommendations of the Open Working Group, both of which recommended that access to information and the protection of fundamental freedoms be included as targets. However, even with the crucial role these rights play in development, they are largely unincorporated in currently agreed development mechanisms and were conspicuous by their absence in the Millennium Development Goals.

As you acknowledged in your “Freedom Lecture” speech last year at the University of Leiden, civil society is under increasing pressure: journalists and human rights defenders are imprisoned; internet and media outlets are shut down; and peaceful protests are banned. These issues need to be addressed as part of the SDGs or they will continue to hinder development progress and the data revolution will be restricted to the status quo of limited and unreliable information by the few, for the few, instead of access to information by everyone, for everyone, and the ability to act upon it.

Mr. Secretary General, today is globally recognised as “Right to Know Day”. Governments and civil society organisations around the world will celebrate the progress made so far to ensure everyone is empowered to have greater control over their lives by better knowing how governments operate. Please take the time today to ensure these rights are not forgotten in the SDGs.

Thank you for your consideration. If your office wishes to discuss this further, please contact us.

Yours sincerely,

ARTICLE 19
Access Info Europe
Accun pour la Culture Numérique
Action 2015 National team-Sri Lanka
Active Remedy Ltd
Adevarul (The Truth)
Africa Freedom of Information Centre
Albanian Media Institute
Amnesty International
Arlan
Asociación Gestión Salud Población
Association Al Bawsala
Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression
Association I Watch – Tunisia
Association Nigérienne des Femmes Diplômées
Association of Caribbean Media Workers
Association of Private Nature Reserves of Minas Gerais State
Association TANSA
Association Tunisienne de Soutien Aux Minorités
Association Tunisienne des Contrôleurs Publics
Association Vigilance pour la Démocratie et l’Etat Civique
Associazione Museo Energia
Bahrain Center for Human Rights
BBC Media Action
Belarusian Association of Journalists
CAFSO-WRAG for Development
Cambodian Center for Human Rights
Campaign2015+ International
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
Caribbean Policy Development Centre
CEEweb for Biodiversity
Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility
Centre for Human Rights and Climate Change Research
Centre for Independent Journalism – Malaysia
Centre for Law and Democracy
Centre for Sustainable Development and Education in Africa
Centro de Reportes Informativos sobre Guatemala – CERIGUA
CF Sange Research Center
CIDAC
Civil Society Partnership for Development Effectiveness
COLLECTIF 24
Comité por la Libre Expresión – C-Libre
Comité Sénégalais des Droits de l’Homme
Corruption Watch UK
EDW ENERGIA
Federation of SUNFO Global Youth Forum
FEMNET – The African Women’s Development and Communication Network
Finnish NGDO platform to the EU
Finnish NGO Platform KEPA
Fondation Mohamed Belmufti Pour La Justice et Les Libertés
Foro de Periodismo Argentino
Foundation for Press Freedom – FLIP
Freedom Forum
Freedom House
Fundamedios – Andean Foundation for Media Observation and Study
GCAP Sri Lanka
Groupe AGORA pour les Droits de l’enfant et la paix (GRA-REDP)
Hong Kong Journalists Association
IMove 2015 Campaign Sri Lanka
Initiative for Freedom of Expression – Turkey
Institut panafricain pour la Citoyenneté, les Consommateurs et le Développement
Institute for Economic Research on Innovation
Institute for the Studies on Free Flow of Information
Instituto de Estudos de Direito e Cidadania
Instituto Internacional de Derecho y Medio Ambiente
Instituto o Direito por um Planeta Verde
Instituto Prensa y Sociedad de Venezuela
International Federation of Journalists, Asia Pacific
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions
International Publishers Association
Interregional Union of Life Help for Mentally Handicapped Persons “Sail of Hope”
Journaliste en danger
Kikandwa Environmental Association
La Ligue Tunisienne des droits de l’Homme
Laboratório de Educação e Política Ambiental – OCA USP
Le Labo Démocratique
Ligue Africaine des blogueurs et activistes pour la démocratie
Ligue Sénégalaise des Droits de l’Homme
Maharat Foundation
Media Institute of Southern Africa
Media Watch
Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance
MediaLink
Metamorphosis, Foundation for Internet and Society
Mujer y Sociedad
Mujeres Mundi
National Union of Somali Journalists
NGO Federation of Nepal
Observatoire Tunisien de l’Indépendance de la Magistrature
Organisation nationale des droits l’homme
Pacific Islands News Association
Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum
Pakistan Press Foundation
Palestinian Center for Development and Media freedoms (MADA)
PEN American Center
PraveenLata Sansthan
PRESSAFRIK
Pro Media
Public Association “Journalists”
Publish What You Fund
Ramfa “Rehomfa” Welfare Org
Rede Latinoamericana do Ministério Público Ambiental
Rencontre Africaine pour la Défense des Droits de l’Homme (RADDHO)
Reporters Without Borders
Request Initiative
Réseau des Organisations Féminines d’Afrique Francophone
Restless Development
Right to Information Coalition Ghana
RightsWay International
Second Chance foundation
Section Sénégalaise de la Société Internationale pour les Droits Humains
Southeast Asian Press Alliance
Southern Minas Gerais Institute for Nature Studies and Conservation
Southwest Freedom of Information Act Network
Sri Lanka United Nations Friendship Organization
Stichting Bakens Verzet (NGO Another Way)
Sunlight Foundation
Terra-1530
The Climate Reality Project Canada
Tobacco Free Association of Zambia
Tunisian Association for the Advancement of Science, Technology and Innovation
Union des Radios Associatives et Communautaires, Senegal
Union des Tunisiens Indépendants pour la Liberté
Unión Nacional de Instituciones para el Trabajo de Acción Social-UNITAS
Voice
West African Journalists Association
Whistleblower-Network Germany
World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters – AMARC
Zambia Heart and Stroke Foundation
Zo Indigenous Forum

ARTICLE 19

Islamabad: At a seminar on media ethics and court reporting, senior journalists and lawyers agreed that there was urgent need to abide by the professional norms by media, lawyers and other professionals in fulfilment of national imperatives.

Islamabad High Court Bar Association organised the seminar in collaboration with Press Council of Pakistan (PCP) Raja Shafqat Khan Abbasi reviewed media situation in terms of professional norms and common man’s interests.

Chairman, Press Council of Pakistan, Raja Shafqat Abbasi speaking on the occasion, said that Press and lawyers has played a great role for restoration of judiciary, in strengthening the democracy and rule of law in the country. Court reporters are vital part of judicial system who need extra care and caution. He urged the media persons that while reporting, principles of fairness, accuracy, impartiality, right of privacy and verification should be maintained. He said that sensationalism, encouragement of violence or terrorism should find no place in journalism. He said that credit goes to parliament which reviewed the 73 constitution in its full spirit and framed Article 10-A relating to right of access to information and fair trial. He appreciated the initiative of Pakistan Bar Council in signing MOU with PCP. In case of any threat from any quarter to a media person or Press, the legal fraternity will provide legal assistance to them.

Abbasi said Pakistan can take pride in its free media. “Media has achieved freedom strength and prestige as a result of strenuous efforts and sacrifices”, he observed adding that now was the time to move towards maturity and professional ethics so that media could keep its rise and avoid decline. He said people have right of access to information through media. “This is how institutions become transparent and are subjected to accountability”, he said.

President, Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors, Chie Editor daily ‘Jinnah’ in his address at the seminar touched on various pressing issues relating to media practices. He focused on media development in historical perspective but lamented that there were some signs of decline also. He stressed the need to stem the tide of decline in media by promoting objectively fairness and balance in reporting. He proposed that as Bar and Bench jointly work for administration of justice, so must do Bar and Media for promoting fair court reporting and cause of justice.

Hanif Khalid, Resident Editor daily Jung, said, media in Pakistan could learn from their counterpart in the advanced countries of the world. He said the lawyers should brief reporters on cases of public interest.

Asad Malik, President Islamabad High Court Press Association said the media has gained more importance in the society in the wake of judicial activism. “It is now for media to highlight cases of national importance being taken up by our superior judiciary without losing professional balance”, he observed.

President, Islamabad High Court Bar Association, Dr Syed Anwar Shah made a brief mention of the media concept of ‘Free Market of Ideas’ and the rival concept based on need for regulated media. He said the first concept was preferable but within the framework of professional ethics. He was sure that Pakistani media would preserve its freedom and mature with the passage of time.

Secretary General, Islamabad High Court Bar Association Chaudhry Junaid Akhtar Chohan thanked the participants and assured the journalists of cooperation by lawyers in court reporting.

Pakistan Press Foundation