Also, there are many aspects of a story that can land a journalist in fatal trouble today. A wrong headline, one single factual error, a truth too close to home, rushing into the cross-fire or a riot with your camera and laptop, getting too close to a scene of a first bomb blast, too intrusive for one or the other side or taking up a social cause not popular among armed hordes of the un-socials.

In recent years, successive governments have failed miserably in helping media persons avert life threats while performing their professional duties. Six of those found guilty in Wali Khan Babar’s murder are behind bars, but others involved and those who had a hand in the killing of numerous witnesses and policemen investigating the case are still out there stalking other victims. And the two deadly attacks on Express group’s Karachi offices and the third one that killed three of the group’s employees (publicly owned by the TTP) in the same city are still floundering in the realm of the unknown.

One only hopes that the two promises Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif made last week to the CPJ delegation that called on him, one of reversing the earlier decision of the government not to extend the visa of The New York Times correspondent Declan Walsh and the other to bring up the issue of attacks on media in the peace talks with the TTP, would not remain just that — promises. And one also hopes that the government would soon fulfil its oft-repeated promise of lifting the ban on YouTube.

The market-driven media houses seem to have gone one up on the government in their apathy towards the safety and security of media workers. All that they seem to be concerned about is to be first to break the news even if it means risking the lives of those staffers in the field or at the desk. They seem to be totally oblivious to the fact that media in Pakistan is operating in a war zone today and, therefore, needs to adopt new rules to avert attacks similar to the ones that the Express group has suffered over the past few months.

What can professional media persons do under these circumstances? Just sit tight and do nothing, fearing bloody reprisals from state and non-state actors?

The media community was, however, shaken out of its scared indifference when journalist Saleem Shahzad was murdered in Islamabad on May 30, 2011. The media community led by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) demanded a judicial enquiry into the killing. In response, a judicial commission was constituted but its findings have remained inconclusive while its recommendations were ignored by the authorities concerned.

The case did attract the attention of many international organisations and a window of opportunity opened up in the country when the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity was announced around this time. This brought most of the country’s media stakeholders together. A working group on media safety protocol was formed.

The group nicknamed Pakistan Coalition on Media Safety led by Owais Aslam Ali of the Pakistan Press Foundation in collaboration with former PFUJ secretary general Mazhar Abbas, Adnan Rehmat of Civic Action Resources, Phyza Jameel of Unesco and a number of other senior media persons have drafted a comprehensive lists of dos and don’ts for the safety and security of media professionals. It would be very much in the interest of all stakeholders if representatives of media houses, media professionals and the government sit together and go through these lists with a fine tooth comb, finalise them and adopt them for implementation through proper legislation.

Express Tribune

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.

The News

ISLAMABAD: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has said Pakistan can be a role model in the region and among the Muslim countries with reference to the media but the government needed to maintain a steady pace in resolving issues confronting the journalists.

A delegation led by Kati Marton, the CPJ board member, is visiting the country to assess the ground realities related to the freedom of the press and the government’s response to security issues faced by the journalists.

During a recent meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the CPJ asked for including the protection of journalists in the upcoming peace talks with the outlawed Taliban.

“Pakistan is a paradox. It has a free and vibrant press but it is insecure,” Ms Marton said while talking to Dawn.

The CPJ is a US-based independent, non-profit organisation working for promoting press freedom worldwide. It defends the right of journalists to report the news without fear of reprisal.

After her meeting with the prime minister, it was decided that a joint government-journalist commission will be established to address continued attacks on journalists and the impunity with which they occur.

It was also decided that a new programme will soon be launched to expedite the prosecution of the killers of journalists.

Ms Marton confirmed headway over both the decisions as the team also held a meeting with the federal information minister who is also the law minister in the current cabinet.

She stressed that the need for such programmes had increased as the regional situation was changing, adding Pakistan was assuming a more important role.

“Press in Pakistan is enormously important and the US will continue to support the cause of the press freedom and safety of journalists in Pakistan.” she said.

“This is what my late husband Richard Holbrooke always said; he was dedicated to have good relations between Pakistan and the US.”

Ms Marton herself had suffered due to persecution of the press as her parents, who were also working journalists, got imprisoned for two years during the 1950s uprising in Hungry. Later, they moved to the US.

The CPJ delegation has also been successful in persuading the authorities to continue to expand Pakistan’s media freedom and address the insecurity plaguing the journalists.

“PM Sharif has spoken in support of media freedom and in support of journalists under attack, particularly in high-conflict areas like Balochistan and Fata,” she added.

The delegation also obtained a commitment from the prime minister to ease visa and travel restrictions on foreign journalists working in the county.

In the meantime, the CPJ expressed concerns over the recent demand by Saudi Arabia that Qatar should shut down Al-Jazeera network.

“We are seriously concerned over this Saudi demand. We have expressed our concern to them but one of our delegations needs to go there to discuss the matter,” she added.

The CPP delegation included board member Ahmed Rashid, executive director Joel Simon and CPJ Asia programme coordinator Robert Dietz.

DAWN