KARACHI: Pakistan is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for media persons, as it has already witnessed the murder of 72 journalists since 2002, stated a report of Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), whose executive summary was shared at a seminar on “State of Pakistani Media 2018” held at the Karachi Press Club on Tuesday.

The report said that from special coercive law to blatant censorship, the Pakistani media has witnessed many forms of oppression in its 71 years of struggle-filled existence. In 2018, the media also endured an unprecedented level of imposed self-censorship through tactics unbecoming of a responsible state.

Senior politicians and journalists addressed the seminar and discussed problems, including restrictions and self-censorship being faced by the media industry and the journalist community in Pakistan.

Speaking on the occasion, PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali said that the media industry has been facing several restrictions and curbs for long. He asked the journalist community to write investigation reports about the journalists who have been murdered in the country, to unearth if they were killed due to their role in journalism or over personal enmity. He said that when the United Nations (UN) prepares reports regarding murders of journalists and sends it to governments of their respective countries, the Pakistani government does not have full knowledge of whether the slain journalists were murdered due to their professionalism or over personal issues.

Former information minister Javed Jabbar said that facts and realities mentioned in the PPF’s summary are very sad and harsh He said, however, the temperament of Pakistani people is democratic which is why elections are held in institutions from press clubs to bars. Javed Jabbar also said that despite immense pressure, the Pakistani media, especially English media, has been publishing bold and critical editorials and columns. “In 56 Muslim countries, Pakistan has more freedom of expression and press freedom,” he said. However, he criticised some media houses for recruiting non-professional people for journalistic duties.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Taj Haider said that all unions of journalists should join hands to formulate a joint policy as all democratic political parties of the country had come on a single page during the Movement for Restoration of Democracy (MRD). There are two parties in the country – establishment and the masses, he said, adding that it is time to take sides.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Tariq Aziz said the rulers are using a divide and rule formula to weaken the Pakistani media. He said that getting information is the right of people. He said that the issues faced by this country could not be resolved till the parliament is strengthened.

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leader Zahid Askari said that today, the Pakistani media is facing grave challenges. He said that his party would support the journalists on every forum. He said that the maltreatment and sacking of journalists are regrettable.

Karachi Press Club General Secretary Arman Sabir said that unity is crucial for journalists. He said that it is the weakness of the journalist fraternity that there are so many divisions. He said that the scope of formal media is shrinking fast as social media is becoming more and more influential. He regretted that due to government pressure, the media industry in Pakistan is working under self-censorship.

Karachi Press Club President Imtiaz Khan Faran said, “We are not hopeless and we will never be.” He said that it is now time to reinvent the media and cater to the needs of modern times. He said that professional media institutions, which provide true information to people, are facing immense pressure. He asked the political parties to play their role in the promotion of freedom of press and expression in the country.

Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) President G M Jamali said that the biggest hurdle for the fraternity is disunity amongst media professionals. He regretted that there are so many groups of journalists in our country, adding that due to this bitter and sharp divide, journalists’ voice is not being heard properly.

Jamali said that hundreds of media workers have already been sacked but journalists could not raise a strong voice for them. He stressed the need of unity of media persons, saying that there is no alternative.

Dr Jabbar Khattak of Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) said that media house owners prefer their vested interests to the interests of journalists or the media in general. He said that the issues faced by the media need a serious focus of all stakeholders, including the government.

Suhail Afzal of PFUJ-Dastoor, Kamal Siddiqui of the Centre for Excellence in Journalism (CEJ) and other senior journalists and writers also spoke on the occasion and asked the government to resolve journalists’ issues.

Pakistan Today

The Report on Safety of Media Workers released by Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) on the International Day on Impunity documents that since 2001, 47 media workers have been murdered, 164 injured, 88 assaulted, 21 abducted and 40 detained. In addition 24 media professionals were died while covering dangerous assignments. There have been convictions in only two cases out of 384 cases of violence against media.

In Pakistan, journalists are killed, unjustly detained, abducted, beaten and threatened by law enforcement and intelligence agencies, militants, tribal and feudal lords, as well as by religious groups and political parties that claim to promote democracy and the rule of law. Adding to the gravity of the situation is the fact that the perpetrators of violence against journalists and media workers enjoy almost absolute impunity from prosecution in Pakistan.

Because of conflicts and insurgencies the number of murders and killings in the highest in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA. Since 2001, 21 journalists and media workers were killed in Balochistan, 19 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 9 in FATA and 15 in Sindh, 4 in Punjab and 3 in Islamabad.

Threats and violence have forced many journalists to move from these danger zones and to leave the profession or to resort to self-censorship, particularly in conflict areas. As a consequence, news reports from conflict areas are based on press releases, not on observations by independent journalists. Thus, new reports that are published or broadcast lack credibility and do not inform the public in an objective manner.

The two convictions by courts were in Sindh for the murder of Daniel Pearl of Wall Street Journal and Wali Babar of Geo Television. In both the cases the federal and provincial governments seriously perused the cases because of pressure from the media organisations of the murdered journalists. The report thus recommends that criminal cases should not only be registered but should also be properly investigated and prosecuted against the perpetrators of violence against media. The report also calls on media itself to take the lead in ensuring safety of media practitioners and to ensure long-term follow up of cases of assault on media organisations and workers.

Apart from murders and killings, the largest number of cases of violence against media occurred in the province of Sindh. Out of a total of 164 journalists and media workers injured and assaulted since 2001, 91 were in Sindh. Surprisingly the second place in these categories with 70 assaults was Islamabad, which was largely due to the assault on large number of media practitioners by supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) during the Dharna in 2014. Forty Eight media practitioners were injured and assaulted in Punjab, 23 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 14 in Balochistan.

This reluctance to hold those who use violence against media professionals exists even in high profile cases such as that of murderous attack on Hamid Mir in 2014, and the murders of journalists Saleem Shahzad in 2011 and Hayatullah Khan in 2006. In all three cases high profile commissions were set up but the result has been nil.

Hamid Mir of Geo Television received six bullet wounds when he was attacked in Karachi in April 2014. The government set up a judicial commission in response to national and international furor over the attack. The commission was supposed to submit a report in 21 days. However, eighteen months have passed and the commission has still not submitted the report. Meanwhile, Mir and other journalists continue to receive threats and face a sense of increasing insecurity. The report calls for the early completions of the commission report which should fix responsibility and be made public.

Cases that are not high profile are covered up at the local level. One such example is that of the fatal shooting of Shan Dahar, reporter of “Abb Takk” TV channel on the night of December 31, 2013 in Badh, in Larkana district. He was shot in his back and was taken to the hospital where he remained unattended until he succumbed to his injuries many hours later on January 1, 2014. The local police, in an investigation that his family believes to be flawed and motivated, termed the death as an accidental death as a result of shooting on New Year’s Eve. However, the family believes he was targeted because of his stories on use of fake medicines in local hospitals. Despite repeated promises, including those by Minister of Information and Broadcasting Pervez Rashid, to have the case re-investigated, no action has been taken by the provincial or federal governments.

The report emphasizes that free media is essential to democracy in Pakistan and for promoting transparency and accountability, a prerequisite of sustained economic uplift and that the impunity enjoyed by those who attack Pakistani media is seriously hampering independent journalism in Pakistan.

Complete report is available in English at: http://www.pakistanpressfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Report-on-Safety-of-Media-Workers.pdf

In Urdu at: http://www.pakistanpressfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Report-on-Safety-for-Media-Workers-Urdu-2.pdf

Private television channels have opened a new discourse in the society which for many years was monopolistic and one sided. Open and candid discussions on issues ranging from domestic politics to social and cultural matters have helped strengthen civil society and democratic process in the country. However, there are also certain areas where the media find their freedom heavily curtailed, most notably in coverage of security issues and religion. Because of their popularity, television channels have come under increased pressure from state, non-state and political groups.

Safety and security of media practitioners is one area where the situation has deteriorated markedly for media organisations and professionals. Pakistan is amongst the most dangerous countries of the world for journalists and it has become difficult for media personnel to work in a secure atmosphere. Pakistan has been a “frontline state” for almost four decades which has polarized society and destroyed people’s sense of security. Because of the Afghanistan war, the areas bordering Afghanistan; including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and FATA, are the most dangerous areas for journalists.

Pakistani journalists are not only targeted by militants but also by political, religious, ethnic and other pressure groups as well as the law enforcement agencies. Incidents of threats, attacks and killings of journalists in Pakistan are the clear evidence of how critical the situation is due to thriving culture of impunity. For every journalist who has been deliberately targeted and murdered, there are many others who have been injured, threatened and coerced into silence. Attackers and murderers of journalists enjoy impunity, which undermines the freedom of expression in the country.

In Pakistan, journalists are killed, unjustly detained, abducted, beaten and threatened by law enforcement and intelligence agencies, militants, tribal and feudal lords, as well as by some political parties that claim to promote democracy and the rule of law. Adding to the gravity of the situation is the fact that the perpetrators of violence against journalists and media workers enjoy almost absolute impunity from prosecution in Pakistan. The threat to journalists has grown dramatically in the past decade since the problem of militancy has grown. The Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups have posed an ever greater threat to journalists — and to all citizens – since 2002 when, in the wake of 9/11, the Pakistani government began to try to counter their rising influence.

Threats and violence have forced many journalists to move from these danger zones and to leave the profession or to resort to self-censorship, particularly in conflict areas. As a consequence, news reports from conflict areas are based on press releases, not on observations by independent journalists. Thus, new reports that are published or broadcast lack credibility and do not inform the public in an objective manner. For democratic development, Pakistan must have credible, professional and independent media.

According to research by PPF, since 2001, 71 journalists and media workers have lost their lives while pursuing their duties. Of these 47 have been deliberately targeted and murdered for practicing their profession, while others were killed while covering dangerous assignments. In only two cases have the murderers been convicted by the courts.

International press freedom and media safety watchdogs agree that Pakistan has become one of the deadliest countries for journalists. Pakistan ranks in the top 10 of the Impunity Index compiled by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), of those countries that do not investigate and prosecute murders of journalists.

This reluctance to hold those who use violence against media professionals continues despite the damage to Pakistan’s reputation as an emerging democratic country. Even in high profile cases such as that of murderous attack on Hamid Mir in 2014, and the murders of Saleem Shahzad in 2011 and Hayatullah Khan in 2006. In all three cases high profile commissions were set up but the result has been nil.

Hamid Mir of Geo Television received six bullet wounds when he was attacked in Karachi in April 2014 receiving six bullets. The government set up a judicial commission in response to national and international furor over the attack. The commission was supposed to submit a report in 21 days. However, eighteen months have passed and the commission has still not submitted the report. Meanwhile, Mir and other journalists continue to receive threats and face a sense of increasing insecurity. The commission needs to complete the work expeditiously and submit the report which should fix responsibility and be made public.

Cases that are not high profile are disposed of at the local level. One such example is that of the fatal shooting of Shan Dahar, reporter of “Abb Takk” TV channel on the night of December 31, 2013 in Badh, in Larkana district of Sindh province of Pakistan. He was shot in his back and was taken to the hospital where he remained unattended until he succumbed to his injuries in the early hours of January 1, 2014. The local police, in an investigation that his family believes to be flawed and motivated, termed the death as an accidental death as a result of shooting on New Year’s Eve. However, the family believes he was targeted because of his stories on use of fake medicines in local hospitals. Despite repeated promises, including those by Minister of Information and Broadcasting Pervez Rashid, to have the case reinvestigated, not action has been taken by the provincial or federal government.

Free media is essential to democracy in Pakistan as it promotes transparency and accountability, a prerequisite of sustained economic uplift. The impunity enjoyed by those who attack journalists is seriously hampering press freedom in Pakistan and all stakeholders, including media organisations, the government and civil society should join hands to devise some mechanisms for ensuring safety of working journalists.

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), a non-governmental organization, is an independent, media documentation and training center, committed to promoting and defending freedom of expression recommends the following steps to control the alarming level of violence against media, and to end impunity for those who attack media practitioners and institutions.
1. Criminal cases should not only be registered but should also be properly investigated and prosecuted against the perpetrators of violence against media.

2. A special prosecutor on violence against media should be established at federal and provincial level to investigate cases of violence against media.

3. Media itself should take the lead in ensuring safety of media practitioners. Local, national and international print, electronic and online media should ensure long-term follow up of cases of assault on media organisations and workers

4. Journalists should be provided with safety and first aid trainings and guidance on how to report in hostile environment. Journalists working in conflict areas should also be provided with guidance in recognizing and dealing with stress and post-traumatic stress.

5. Safety equipments including bulletproof jackets and medical kits should be given to journalists covering the conflicts.

6. Threats and attacks can be reduced to some extent by adopting a professional approach and impartial and unbiased reporting. Journalists, especially those in rural areas, should be imparted trainings on writing skills, language proficiency, editing and interviewing techniques to enhance their capabilities.

7. Employers should provide journalists life and medical insurance and also compensation in case of death or injury related to their work. As Pakistani journalists are victims of circumstances that are both local and global in nature, the government should also compensate to the families of journalists, killed in the line of duty.

8. Proper medical treatment, including treatment abroad, should be provided to media workers who have been subjected to violence.

9. In addition to compensation by employers and government, funds should be set up for families of journalists who had been murdered or injured. These funds could be operated by the immediate families of the victimized journalists.

10. There is need to for media organisations to develop ‘operating procedures’ with law enforcement agencies that will allow journalists to cover the conflict situations with greater safety.

11. Arrangements should be made in all major cities to provide refuge and safe houses for the journalists who are forced to leave their homes so that they can live and work in safer cities.

12. Media organisations should interact with all stakeholders including government departments, political parties and groups and security agencies to develop strategies that promote safety of journalists and other media workers.

13. Employers should give journalists facing threats the option of transferring them to safer cities for extended periods of time. The remunerations during these periods should be based on the actual living expenses in these cities, which are generally higher than rural areas.

14. At times, insensitive and misinformed editors push their reporters and photojournalists into the situations where they have to put their life and well-being at risk for getting the stories. There is a need to create awareness and sensitizing the owners of the media organizations, as well as, those who are working on desk to realize the ground realities and threats being faced by the journalists working in fields especially in conflict areas.

15. Some international media organisations do provide proper safety trainings and equipment to their correspondents; however, journalists working for international media organisations as stringers or on freelance basis in remote areas of FATA, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan do not receive adequate training or support. As reporting for international media carries greater risk for these stringers, these organisations should provide security training and support, as well as, life and medical insurance for their stringers and freelancers working in conflict area.

Business Recorder

Over the last decade, media in Pakistan have experienced a remarkable growth and transformation in its role, however, safety and security of media practitioners continues to deteriorate.

According to research by PPF, since 2001, 70 journalists and media workers have lost their lives while pursuing their duties. Of these 45 have been deliberately targeted and murdered for practicing their profession, while others were killed while covering dangerous assignments. In only two cases have the murderers been convicted by the courts.

International press freedom and media safety watchdogs agree that Pakistan has become one of the deadliest countries for journalists. Pakistan ranks in the top 10 of the Impunity Index compiled by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), of those countries that do not investigate and prosecute murders of journalists.

This reluctance to hold those who use violence against media professionals continues despite the damage to Pakistan’s reputation as a democratic country. Even in high profile cases such as that of murderous attack on Hamid Mir in 2014, and the murders of Saleem Shahzad in 2011 and Hayatullah Khan in 2006. In all three cases, high profile commissions were set up but the result has been nil.

Free media is essential to democracy in Pakistan as it promotes transparency and accountability, a prerequisite of sustained economic uplift. The impunity enjoyed by those who attack journalists is seriously hampering press freedom in Pakistan and all stakeholders, including media organisations, the government, and civil society should join hands to devise some mechanisms for ensuring safety of working journalists.

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), a non-governmental organization, is an independent, media documentation and training centre, committed to promoting and defending freedom of expression recommends the following steps to control the alarming level of violence against media, and to end impunity for those who attack media practitioners and institutions.

Pakistan Today