“Only two out of 50 murder cases of journalists could be resolved in recent years in the country,” he said while speaking at the concluding session of a four-day workshop titled “Safety and Security Training for Journalists”, organized by PPF in collaboration with Free Press Unlimited at a local hotel.

PPF’s chief consultant Kamila Marvi said: “Women in the field of journalism have more exposure to society, as they have to work in the field where they face more sexual harassments.”

A representative of Hyderabad Press Club, Faheem Siddiqui, suggested that a committee comprising at least two female should be formed in every press club to tackle issues of sexual harassment, where every female journalist should report in case she faced any such problem.

Citizens-Police Liaison Committee’s (CPLC) Assistant Chief Shabbar Malik said: “We should never take a threat as a joke because it could be very dangerous to us. Such a threat should immediately be reported to a nearby police station and you should get information about the criminals who are threatening you by getting help from intelligence agencies or CPLC.”

Clinical psychologist belonging to Karwan-e-Hayat, Muhammed Idrees, said that sparing time from one’s busy and strenuous life to enjoy with family and friends was highly important for the refreshment of mind.

He said life is so busy these days that people usually do not get time to improve their mental health which could result in a mental disorder. “There are many ways to get relief or minimise your mental stress and these include exercise, listing your problems and find their solutions.”

Criticising the media for highlighting severe injuries cases, Idrees said that such exposures could lead to anxiety and depression in the society.

Bytes for All’s Manager (Research), Faheem Zafar, said that leaving digital equipments unsecured, specially mobile phone, was the most vulnerable device as it could be easily traced and through which your complete information could be looked into.

“Journalists are the mirror of society and they have to tell the truth, so there could be many possible enemies who could penetrate their digital accounts to get their personal information and misuse that,” he observed.

Zafar said there are several software and applications which could help encounter cyber threats, such as Spybot. This software could help in leaving no trace to be located by others, while Firewall would tell you what is entering your computer and what is going out of it without getting notice of it,” he added.

He said Chrome and Firefox are reliable browsers, therefore, using Internet Explorer should be avoided, while in e-mail services Hotmail and Yahoo are the most vulnerable services, although Gmail is relevantly better. The manager said opening website with writing https in browser is more secure rather than http which is insecure.

A trainer of Bytes for All, Farhan Hussain, said Facebook privacy settings must be checked from time to time as they very often change it without giving any notification, expose your private things and posts.

“In case there is a threat from cyber crimes to you or somebody is bothering you on mobile, which is usually faced by females, then FIA could be contacted as they have a cyber wing to deal with these kinds of troubles which is very effective and efficient,” he said.

A former master trainer and commandant of Federal Civil Defence Training School (FCDTS), Sarfaraz Ahmed Jafri, said: “Readiness of mind has a key importance for a person at the time of emergency or disaster to apply safety measures and rescue his own life and, if gets chance, others, as well.”

He said there was no alternative for a human life, therefore, it was always necessary to save it first. “Disaster or emergency mostly occur suddenly so, one should always be prepared for that and keep a first aid kit with him at home and while travelling away.”

Jafri said at the time of emergency one is required to check ABC (airway, breathing and circulation) of the victim. “Apply direct pressure to the wound and wash it thoroughly, however if something for example shrapnel or bullet shell penetrates body, it should not be pulled out because bleeding would be uncontrollable if it was pulled out.”

Senior trainer, Sub-Inspector Gul Awan said nobody should come closer to the crime scene or try to touch things around but law-enforcement agencies, because everything, if placed as it was right after the crime, could tell about the criminals through forensic evidences, and the threat of a secondary blast was always looming there. You may cover it closely after the police had completed their investigation.

“Always keep a way out first in your mind before entering any mobbed area. Do not try to run during crossfire but take shelter behind something solid or lay down straight because it is difficult for targeting a person lying down from a distance,” he said.

A DSP, on the occasion, said law-making was direly needed in the society as we were still following slavery-era law (British) in which direct FIR was reported without prior investigation which meant that now the accused could only get bail through court.

Principal of Police Training College, SP Javed, lauded the initiative taken by PPF for educating journalists about crime scene.

FCDTS’s senior trainer Altaf Hussain Dada, PPF’s Sr. Co-ordinator Musawir Shahid, Co-ordinator Naseem Akhter Shaikh, representatives of Hyderabad Press Club, Khuzdar Press Club, Quetta Press Club, Larkana Press Club Mirpurkhas Press Club and Nawabshah Press Club and local media people were also present on the occasion.

Business Recorder

Hamid Mir had arrived in Karachi from his home in Islamabad and was on way to Geo office when he was fired at near the airport and sustained three bullet injuries, including in his stomach and leg. This is the second attack on Mir, who has been receiving threats by different groups of Taliban as well as intelligence agencies.

The statement by PCOMS said it is very troubling that the assailants knowledge of the travel plans of Mir and were able to shot him in broad daylight and make good their escape without being challenged by police or security agencies of federal and provincial governments.

Even more serious are statements on Geo Television that Hamid Mir had told his family, employers, government officials and army officials that some officials of Pakistan’s Inter Service Intelligence (ISI), including ISI’s chief Lt. Gen Zaheerul Islam had prepared a plan to eliminate him.

A statement issued by PCOMS said the attack on Hamid Mir demonstrated once again government’s callous disregard for the safety of journalists.

PCOMS asked the government to inform the people of Pakistan of the steps that had been taken to ensure the safety of a senior journalist who had informed those in authority of the nature of imminent threats that he faced.

PCOMS, which is an initiave of stakeholders in Pakistan under the umbrella of UN action plan on safety of journalists and impunity issues, called on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to ensure a credible and independent inquiry into this yet another brazen attack on senior and respected journalist, so that those responsible are held to account.

Conflict and other forms of hazardous reporting are not new in this part of the world, and journalists here have been exposed to the perils of the profession since long. It is unfortunate that media organisations have not given due importance to the sensitivities associated with such reporting.

With extremists often suspecting journalists of having links with their enemy, and because of the dynamics of the job itself, including the blind competition for breaking news, media personnel are easy targets. For instance, in the race to be the first to cover a blast, journalists expose themselves to a second blast at the site. In Quetta last year, three media workers lost their lives in twin blasts. Unfortunately, that critical balance between the right to know and the right to life is often disturbed because of media rivalries.

When a journalist is killed or a media house attacked, the media focuses on the story, thus multiplying its effects, which is what the militants want in order to capture world attention.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) since 1992 in Pakistan, 72 journalists have been killed. The motive behind 54 of these killings has been ascertained; however, the motive behind the rest remains shrouded in mystery. Of the journalists killed, about 39pc were covering conflict, 15pc corruption and 13pc human rights issues. Some 56pc of the dead journalists were associated with the print media and 4pc were foreign journalists.

Since 1992, Sindh has registered 18, Balochistan 17, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 16, Fata 10, Punjab seven and the federal capital three cases. Attacks on press clubs have also claimed lives as the one on the Peshawar and Khuzdar press clubs some years ago.

Conflict reporting requires special skills and experience, and only the trained and experienced should be allowed to do it, that too with the paraphernalia needed for war zones including bullet-proof jackets and helmets. Moreover, it is critical to arrange insurance covering disability and death.

International humanitarian organisations like the Red Cross offer hotline facilities to the families of reporters who may have disappeared in conflict areas. This international involvement helps maintain transparency where local law enforcement is concerned. A threat assessment needs to be carried out by the police and security alerts should be communicated to the potential targets. Therefore more coordination between the police and media is needed.

To ensure the safety and welfare of journalists, the government intends to constitute a commission comprising journalists, public figures and government representatives. The commission will make suggestions on how to monitor the prosecution of crimes against journalists. According to the CPJ, in nine out of 10 cases in which journalists are killed, the perpetrators go free. But the recent conviction in the Wali Babar case has increased confidence in the criminal justice system.

Life insurance for journalists and compensation to the heirs of those killed in Fata and the federal capital is also under consideration by the federal government. To enhance security levels, in consultation with media representatives there is a move to work out a security plan to secure press clubs and media houses.

There is a growing demand that the cases of killings of journalists should be handled by special prosecutors and tried by anti-terrorism courts.

To ensure a safe working environment for journalists, in 2006 the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1738. Last November, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on the safety of journalists and also proclaimed Nov 2 as the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists. Earlier, in 2012 a UN plan on the safety of journalists was adopted. For the purposes of this plan, five countries viz South Sudan, Iraq, Pakistan, Nepal and Mexico were selected.

The UN plan expects that the selected countries will ensure the need for legislation to protect freedom of expression through improved investigation and prosecution of crimes against journalists. The plan also envisages a safety fund for journalists working in conflict areas. In Pakistan, to augment such measures, uniform compensation needs to be worked out by all provinces, and conflict reporting taught as a subject at the university level.

Meanwhile, reporters must respect the ‘yellow police tape’ at the scene of a crime. This will not only protect lives but also keep circumstantial evidence intact. To draft and enforce a code of ethics it is imperative to have a professional institutional relationship between the police and media groups.

The writer is a deputy inspector general of the police. alibabakhel@hotmail.com

DAWN

ISLAMABAD: “He must be very happy that I am here in Pakistan, we had a plan to come to Islamabad together but that could not happen because … (a pause),” Kati Marton shared thoughts recalling her late husband, Richard Holbrooke, former US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, not long ago a household name in our region before his death in December 2010. Marton stopped short of using the word ‘died’ for him.

Being Holbrooke’s widow is not her only source of introduction. She is an award-winning journalist and author of eight books. Marton is in Pakistan in her capacity as board member of Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) to discuss with higher authorities the security issues facing Pakistani journalists. She was seemingly touched with the memories of her husband with whom she had visited number of countries of the world but Pakistan.

Holbrooke was her second husband. Marton’s first marriage was with Peter Jennings, a journalist. She had met Holbrooke, a career diplomat, in New York, and tied the knot with him in 1995. A Hungarian-American, Marton had deep memories attached with Budapest, a city where she was born, raised and later chose for wedding ceremony as she went for the second marriage.

We were introduced to each other by Bob Dietz, CPJ’s director Asia, only Thursday night at a dinner in a local hotel.Marton’s questions about the journalists’ security in Pakistan to the participants of the dinner forced me to request our friend Bob Dietz for having an appointment with Kati. The next morning I was sitting with her one-on-one, thanks to Bob, whom one always found smiling.

Marton, who led the CPJ delegations in meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif the other day, recorded her impression about it. Nawaz Sharif was very happy to see her due to his close association with Holbrooke. PM Nawaz Sharif told Marton that her husband would reach him often when he was even in the opposition. Holbrooke had urged him not to participate in the Long March due to reports about serious threats to his security, PM told Marton.

“Mr Sharif did not forget that and he shared this with me how my husband had phoned him and how much he was concerned for his life,” Marton said.In March 2009, during the lawyer’s movement, Nawaz Sharif led a long march from Lahore to Islamabad to restore the judges of the superior courts who were sent home by former dictator Pervez Musharraf.

Hours after starting the long march the then Army Chief Gen Kayani had informed Nawaz Sharif that his demands had been accepted by the government, marking the end of this historic march. Nawaz Sharif for the first time revealed this that not only the then Pakistan People’s Party government and military but also US authorities did not want him to join the long march.

What was the reaction of the PM when you raised the issue of security of Pakistani journalists, I asked Marton. “It was really unusual because he was not defensive,” she said. And she explained how. “Whenever I meet with any head of the state I find them defensive trying to tell us that we have some wrong information. PM Sharif was altogether a different man. He neither defended nor disputed our concerns and rather assured us that he would do whatever he could to ensure the safety of the journalists,” Marton said.

The PM went a step forward, she explained, adding two more things in this connection from his side. One was the announcement of special prosecutors to deal with the cases of journalists in all the provinces and the other was the setting up of a committee comprising journalists and government officials to oversee the progress related to the security measures.

PM nominated Ahmed Rashid, the internationally known famous author as the head of that committee, she said. “I found PM Sharif a different kind of head of the state.”Marton was equally upset to note the lack of cooperation from ISI leadership that denied a meeting request. Asked why she wanted a meeting with ISI, Marton said: “I am not naïve, neither was my husband.” She said Pakistani journalists are facing a “combination of threats.”

Asked what motivated her concerns about the security of journalists in Pakistan and the rest of the world, Marton said her father and mother both were journalists in Budapest. They were working for American news organizations. I still remember when I was only six and had opened the door and secret police entered home and arrested my mother, in front of me. My father was already arrested. Marton still feels the pain.

Her parents were later declared the spies of CIA and sent to prison for two years leaving Marton behind with her only elder sister to experience the trauma. Once released, her parents migrated to the US.

Marton has a master’s degree in journalism from George Washington University and started working, first for radio and then television.She also authored several books. Marton believes that Pakistani journalism has a room of improvement but it is doing great.

Her book “The Polk Conspiracy” deserves particular mention wherein she exposed the secret role of US and UK governments in the killing of a journalist. When she told me this I wondered if any Pakistani journalist can dare exposing the role of our governments in a similar way. There was no definite answer in my mind.

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