Month: November 2013

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Journalists told not to ask questions about drone attack

assassination of journalism

ISLAMABAD: US diplomats on Thursday asked Pakistani media persons not to ask any question about the latest drone attack in a settled area of Pakistan when they saw Ambassador Richard Olson who answered questions about every other subject.

“US embassy desires that journalists not ask questions on political and security fronts and focus only on energy, economy, investment and bilateral trade,” reporters who met Olson on Thursday were warned before the meeting.

The drone strike in Hangu was the first in a settled city and came on the day when every newspaper in the country had quoted the National Security Adviser Sartaj Aziz in headlines that US had assured that drones would not be used when talks with TTP are going on.

But the envoy was still asked how the US was expecting long-term and sustainable relations with Pakistan keeping in view the political and security issues (meaning obviously the drone strikes), the ambassador replied that there was a lot of room for growth in bilateral relations between the two countries.

On other issues Ambassador Richard Olson said Washington was discussing civil nuclear energy cooperation on separate diplomatic channel on the request and desire of the Pakistani side. “We have recognised that both sides were discussing civil nuclear energy cooperation on desire and request of Pakistani side,” the US ambassador said while briefing the select group of reporters here at the US embassy.

He said that in the Energy Working Group deliberations held in Washington and Houston last week aimed at bringing efficiency in energy sector, keen interest was shown by US companies to export LNG to Pakistan and establish cooperation for changing the energy mix in the country.

The US ambassador said that Washington was committed to provide 50 percent assistance under Kerry Lugar Law (KLL) on budget while remaining 50 percent would be given off budget on different projects undertaken with this money.

He said that Pakistani government possessed ambitious plan for privatisation and keeping in view ups and downs in relations between two sides on account of political and security related difficulties and complex situation, the bilateral relations should also be privatised to establish business to business contacts. Pakistan, he said, is a large market and is likely to touch 300 million people by middle of this century having English speaking workforce. “The security is a challenge for US companies,” he said and added that US companies were committed to invest in Pakistan keeping in view economic incentives where repatriation of profits were allowed from the country.

To another query regarding changes in mechanism for reimbursement of Coalition Support Fund (CSF), Richard Olson said that the mechanism had been streamlined to reduce disagreement and it was a change brought on Pakistan’s request.

In the past, he said, there were some disagreements and now it was streamlined. He said that he did not know how much amount US would reimburse in the current fiscal year, adding that Washington released $322 million for last quarter and the remaining bills would also be released on quarterly basis.

When asked about US opposition to Pak-Iran gas pipeline, he said that they discussed in general the TAPI project which had started gaining momentum.

He said that opposition to IP gas pipeline was well known. It would be premature to discuss possibility of lifting US sanctions on Iran keeping in view ongoing dialogue at different international forums. “The sanctions on Iran were likely to remain there,” he added. He said that TAPI project was included on short-term basis for meeting energy requirements of the country.

Dwelling upon details of last week deliberation held in Washington by the Energy Working Group under strategic dialogue in Houston, the ambassador said that US was committed to undertake refurbishment of Mangla Dam after accomplishing this task in Tarbela.

US, he said, was providing assistance to Pakistan’s power sector for placing smart meters in order to curtail theft.

Since 2009, US extended assistance to overhaul power sector and added 1,000 MW electricity into grid while another 200 MW will be added in the months ahead. He said that US Congress had approved technical assistance for Basha Dam. Terming PM Sharif’s visit to US as successful, he said that the premier met with President Obama and half of cabinet members during his official visit.

On a question regarding Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT), he said that they viewed that both sides had arrived on consensus document but Pakistan required more consultations and they were waiting for their response.

The News

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Impunity poses a major threat to freedom of press in Pakistan

KARACHI: Chairman of Pakistan Press International and Secretary General of the Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), Owais Aslam Ali said that the perpetrators of violence against journalists and media workers enjoy almost absolute impunity in Pakistan, which is seriously hampering press freedom in the country.

This he said while answering to various questions asked by Ifex in connection with its International Day to End Impunity campaign. Two other A. Rehman, Secretary General of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and Shahzad Ahmad, the Country Director of Bytes for All Pakistan also shared thoughts and experiences regarding impunity in Pakistan.

Owais Aslam Ali said that according to figures, 55 journalists have been killed in Pakistan in the last ten years, and 36 of them were deliberately targeted and murdered because of their work. For every journalist who has been deliberately targeted and murdered, there are many others who have been injured, threatened and coerced into silence. He added that many journalists have been forced to migrate from danger zones due to alarming increase in violence and threats, moreover intimidation has forced others to self-censor, particularly in the conflict areas. Security issues remain the biggest threat for journalists in Pakistan.

Replying to a question about women reporters facing different types of risks, Owais Aslam said that reporting remained almost exclusively a male domain especially in rural and conflict areas. However,
situation in the newly emerging television sector is slightly better, as women reporters are accompanied by a team including cameramen and producers, which provides more security. Still the public sexual harassment or molestation of women by men is endemic in Pakistani society, and no steps have been taken by the media employers, unions or press clubs, except mere lip service, to encourage women to enter the field of reporting in substantial numbers.

Owais Aslam said that in March 2013, PPF played its due role at the International Conference on Safety and Security of Pakistani Journalists: Promoting Collaborative Approaches to Combat Impunity, which resulted in the formation of the Pakistan Coalition on Media Safety (PCOMS). PCOMS supports the UN Action Plan Against Impunity as well as its focus on Pakistan as one of the pilot countries, and aims to help, support and reinforce its implementation. PPF also agreed to host the Secretariat of PCOMS.

A. Rehman said that impunity poses one of the most serious challenges to the rule of law in Pakistan and to citizens’ basic rights. Officials almost always get away with extra-judicial killings. Enforced disappearances are a major issue in Pakistan, and no state functionary has been prosecuted. He said that HR defenders face serious challenges in Pakistan and three activists working for the HRCP have been killed. Two have had to be relocated.

Shahzad Ahmad said that many state authorities as well as non-state actors in Pakistan enjoy impunity, and nearly all of them are opposed to the ideals of freedom of expression, whereas vague laws, court jurisdiction issues and weakening writ of the government in several conflict areas contribute to their impunity. Expression in digital spaces is curtailed by the authorities, using excuses like national security, morality and religious harmony.

Owais Aslam said that registration, investigation and prosecution of criminal cases against the perpetrators of violence against media; establishment of an independent commission for monitoring of cases of violence and intimidation; imparting training to journalists especially those in rural areas; development of “operating procedures” by media organizations and sensitization of the owners and editors to the realities and threats being faced by journalists would help ending the culture of impunity in Pakistan.

These experts were of the opinion that ending impunity in Pakistan is a big challenge and UN Plan of Action can prove effective only if the government is forced to abide by it. Sensitization of all stakeholders including the government, law enforcement agencies, media organizations, civil society organizations etc is necessary to end the culture of impunity.

Click the link below for more Information:
INTERNATIONAL DAY TO END IMPUNITY

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Tributes to martyred media persons

LAHORE: The journalist community across the country on Tuesday observed “Journalists Martyrs Day” on the call of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) President Rana Muhammad Azeem and Secretary General Amin Yousaf.

The community held seminars, rallies and ceremonies in their cities and districts to pay the rich tributes to all those journalists who were killed in the line of duty, in Pakistan and around the world.

In Lahore, a torch bearer rally led by PFUJ President Rana Azeem was conducted from PUJ Secretariat to Faisal Chow. Minister for Ports and Shipping Kamran Machael, PML-L Lawyers Forum Lahore’s Information Secretary Advocate Mushfaq Ahmad Khan, Member Federal Executive Council of PFUJ Farrukh Baseer, Mian Dawood, senior journalists, teachers, students and people from other walks of life also participated in the rally.

Addressing with rally, PFUJ President Rana Azeem announced to give 10-marlas plots to the martyred journalists. The PFUJ president also announced to form a special fund of Rs10 million for the journalists who have been terminated from the jobs and for educational expenditure of children of the low paid journalists.

He paid rich tribute to the martyred journalists and said their sacrifices would be remembered always.

Minister for Ports and Shipping Kamran Machael said the journalists became the voice of the desperate people of the society. He announced to give bullet proofs jackets to the journalists. In Islamabad, PFUJ organised a seminar on Tuesday to pay tributes to the journalists who were killed in the line of duty in the country and all over the world.

Former Federal Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira as a chief guest on the occasion said that the journalist community has always remained on the forefront of all the movements in the country including freedom movement and the movement for restoration of democracy.

He said that in the present testing times when the whole nation is fighting the menace of terrorism, the journalists have set a noble example by giving great sacrifices while exposing the real designs of the evil forces.

He congratulated the PFUJ and other journalist organizations for organizing the seminar in memory of their martyred companions. Addressing the participants, President Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) Afzal Butt said that journalists will always remember those members who embraced martyrdom.

“We have also appealed to the international journalist bodies to show solidarity with the victims and their families”, he added. He further added that by observing November 19 as the day for martyred journalists, PFUJ will try to draw world’s attention towards the threats being faced by Pakistani journalists.

Journalists from Rawalpindi and Islamabad, civil society members, representatives of different political parties and people from different walks of life attended the event.

In Karachi, the journalists, members of civil society and political workers also lit the lamps and candles in a ceremony to pay rich tributes to all those journalists who were killed in the line of duty, in Pakistan and around the world. Addressing with the ceremony, Senior Minister of Sindh Nisar Khorro said no one could ignore the sacrifices of the journalists who lost their lives during the duty hours.

“Pakistan Peoples Party pays rich tributes to all martyred journalists of Pakistan,” said the senior minister, adding the efforts and struggle of the journalists in restoration of the democracy in the county were appreciating.

The Nation

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Right wronged

The Right to Information (RTI) bill, originally introduced as an ordinance by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, has finally been passed by the provisional assembly but amendments added to the bill have made it considerably weaker. The RTI bill now imposes a fine of Rs50,000 or a two-year prison sentence for those who ‘use the information obtained for mala fide purposes’. The bill itself does not define what falls under the ambit of mala fide purposes so this clause could end up scaring away people from seeking information and be used to persecute those who uncover official wrongdoing. For some reason, the Peshawar High Court has been exempted from public bodies that must comply with the terms of the bill. A wide swath of information that should routinely be made available to the public has also been exempted from the bill, including topics related to ‘international relations and security’, ‘disclosure harmful to law enforcement’, ‘public economic affairs’, ‘public money’, ‘privacy’, ‘legal privilege’ and ‘commercial and confidential information”. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, by adding these exceptions to the bill, could deny the release of almost any information it would prefer to keep secret. Should they be abused, these clauses have the ability to render the rest of the bill null and void.

Despite these regrettable changes, the RTI bill could be used as a model for the other provinces and the centre. The draft Freedom of Information Bill presented by the PML-N is a travesty that does the very opposite of what such a bill should do. It gives individual departments the right to decide if they want to release documents and the only oversight is in the form of an ombudsman who can advise them but has no real authority. Each request for information also requires the payment of a burdensome fee which will surely discourage the public from exercising their right to know what their elected representatives and public servants are up to. This is where the RTI bill should inform the Freedom of Information bill currently being considered in the Senate. The RTI bill mandates that officers be appointed who can be approached for all requests for information and who will be expected to avoid delays and obfuscation. Even more importantly the RTI bill includes protection for whistleblowers so that no one will lose his or her job for revealing information that could be damaging to those in power. Of course, the success of the RTI can only be judged by its implementation but the federal government should pay heed to some of the language in that bill.

The News

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Draft Right to Information Bill: Minister seeks APNS, PBA recommendations

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister of Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rashid has invited Pakistan Broadcasting Association (PBA) and All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) to forward their recommendations on draft Right to Information Bill and assured that these will be brought up during discussion in the Senate.

The minister said this in a letter written to PBA Chairman M Aslam Kazi and APNS President Sarmad Ali on Friday.

The letter read, “Even at this stage when the Bill has already been moved in the Senate, we would like to know and understand your perspective in the matter. Please forward your recommendations with regard to the Bill, to us, in writing or a meeting can be arranged at the earliest with the representatives of APNS and PBA to further discuss your proposals.”

The minister assured that these recommendations will then be brought up during discussions in the Senate. “It is right of people to have correct information in order to keep check on the performance of the executive machinery,” he added. He said that as committed in the manifesto, the government of PML-N believes in transparency and sharing information with the general public in a way it happens in any democratic society and in accordance with provisions of the constitution.

The letter said, “We appreciate the interest of APNS and PBA over the draft Right to Information Bill. However, we have learnt your concerns about the Bill through an advertisement placed recently in both print and electronic media which apparently was sponsored by APNS and PBA.”

The letter further said APNS and PBA are well aware that the draft bill, which has now been tabled in the Senate, passed through various stages over a period of time and it was also reported in the national press several times during the process of its formulation. Initially, the bill was discussed in the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting headed by Senator Kamil Ali Agha and comprising senators of all major political parties in the Senate, the letter read.

“It was then referred to the sub-committee with Senator Farhatullah Babar as convener to consider and scrutinise all aspects of the draft bill. The sub-committee held extensive meetings with relevant government and non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders including media representatives for preparation of the report. Their valuable inputs were incorporated in the draft bill. It was after thorough deliberations by all stakeholders that the bill, in its present form, was recommended by the Standing Committee. The committee has unanimously approved the bill.”

After detailed discussion, it said, the committee decided that the recommendation of the standing committee may be moved in the House under Rule-195 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate, 2012 and with the request of the House to adopt the recommendation of standing committee under Rule 196 of Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate 2012.

Thereafter, it added, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting with the approval of the cabinet will introduce the recommendation of the standing committee as an official bill.

Daily Times

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Draft Right to Information Bill – Minister seeks APNS, PBA recommendations

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister of Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rashid has invited Pakistan Broadcasting Association (PBA) and All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) to forward their recommendations on draft Right to Information Bill and assured that these will be brought up during discussion in the Senate.

The minister said this in a letter written to PBA Chairman M Aslam Kazi and APNS President Sarmad Ali on Friday.

The letter read, “Even at this stage when the Bill has already been moved in the Senate, we would like to know and understand your perspective in the matter. Please forward your recommendations with regard to the Bill, to us, in writing or a meeting can be arranged at the earliest with the representatives of APNS and PBA to further discuss your proposals.”

The minister assured that these recommendations will then be brought up during discussions in the Senate. “It is right of people to have correct information in order to keep check on the performance of the executive machinery,” he added. He said that as committed in the manifesto, the government of PML-N believes in transparency and sharing information with the general public in a way it happens in any democratic society and in accordance with provisions of the constitution.

The letter said, “We appreciate the interest of APNS and PBA over the draft Right to Information Bill. However, we have learnt your concerns about the Bill through an advertisement placed recently in both print and electronic media which apparently was sponsored by APNS and PBA.”

The letter further said APNS and PBA are well aware that the draft bill, which has now been tabled in the Senate, passed through various stages over a period of time and it was also reported in the national press several times during the process of its formulation. Initially, the bill was discussed in the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting headed by Senator Kamil Ali Agha and comprising senators of all major political parties in the Senate, the letter read.

“It was then referred to the sub-committee with Senator Farhatullah Babar as convener to consider and scrutinise all aspects of the draft bill. The sub-committee held extensive meetings with relevant government and non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders including media representatives for preparation of the report. Their valuable inputs were incorporated in the draft bill. It was after thorough deliberations by all stakeholders that the bill, in its present form, was recommended by the Standing Committee. The committee has unanimously approved the bill.”

After detailed discussion, it said, the committee decided that the recommendation of the standing committee may be moved in the House under Rule-195 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate, 2012 and with the request of the House to adopt the recommendation of standing committee under Rule 196 of Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate 2012.

Thereafter, it added, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting with the approval of the cabinet will introduce the recommendation of the standing committee as an official bill.

Daily Times

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A robust Info Act passed by KP compared to toothless Senate bill

ISLAMABAD: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Right to Information (RTI) Ordinance (RTI Act 2013), a robust piece of legislation, will call into question the intention of the Senate’s standing committee that has tabled a toothless federal RTI draft law in the Upper House as a ‘multi-party’ bill.

Although a few negative amendments have been introduced in the KP’s RTI Act that were not part of it when promulgated in shape of the Ordinance, it is still far better than the draf federal legislation. KP Assembly’s move surprises lawmakers in Islamabad as PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar, the architect of the federal RTI bill, said a couple of days earlier that ‘he will see’ when KP Assembly succeeds in securing the passage of RTI bill, being touted as a model law.

He said this when told that sub-committee formed under his supervision to draft federal law should have tried to follow the KP legislation if they were unable to do it on their own. Now the provincial assembly has not only passed RTI Act it did so without changing the basic structure as envisaged in the ordinance. Disregarding the criticism that the federal RTI bill faces due to weak enforcement mechanism and too many exemptions for information otherwise considered public, Senator Babar told The News that the committee is “really proud of it.” As for as the negative amendments introduced in KP’s RTI Act are concerned the Coalition for Right to Information (CRTI) has also expressed its reservations.

A statement issued by Zahid Abdullah, CRTI coordinator, said the KP lawmakers have unnecessarily included provision pertaining to the punishment for the misuse of information acquired under this law. Section 28 (2) of RTI Act 2013 says: “Anyone who commits an offence under sub section (1), shall be liable to a fine not exceeding rupees fifty thousand (50,000) or imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years”. CRTI takes strong exception to the insertion of this section on the recommendation of select committee, the statement said.

Also, KP’s RTI Act 2013 does not include Peshawar High Court within the definition of public body, which needs to be changed. Chief Justice of Peshawar High Court, (PHC) is not only the top judge of the province but he also acts as administrative head of PHC and in this capacity is involved in making contracts, procurements from public funds and citizens have every right to know how these funds are being utilised, the CRTI statement said.

These two anomalies apart, the RTI Act 2013 envisages strong implementation mechanism in the shape of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa information commission.

The list of exempted information is narrowly and clearly drawn and the provision of harm test will ensure that even exempted information will have to be disclosed if its disclosure is in public interest. Among other amendments, for instance, the information commission that earlier comprised of four members has now been reduced to three by excluding a representative that was to be appointed by the Chief Justice of Peshawar High Court. Other composition stays intact as the chairman of the Commission will be appointed by the government. Peshawar High Court Bar Association will appoint a senior lawyer as the commission’s member and one member will be picked from the civil society having 15-year experience in this field.

The earlier legislation said the civil society member would be appointed by the Human Rights Commission but this condition has been removed in the newly passed law without explaining the selection procedure amid apprehensions that the provincial government wants to keep the power of appointment by controlling the commission through choosing two out of three members. Compared to the RTI Ordinance promulgated earlier that provided for the perks and privileges of the commission members equal to a high court judge, the RTI law passed by the KP assembly has made them equal to the remuneration of a BS-20 officer, an amendment that may discourage a competent lawyer to give up practice for joining the commission.

While the Ordinance had excluded the Peshawar High Court from the ambit of institutions bound to provide information, this exclusion stays in the law as well despite demands from RTI activists to remove this restriction.

The News

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Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa comes bundled with long list of exemptions

By: Abdur Rauf

PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly unanimously passed the K-P Right to Information Act (RTI) 2013 on Friday, but not without significant amendments. One such change pertains to ‘mala fide intentions’ which are now counted a punishable offence resulting in – at most – a Rs50,000 fine or incarceration for two years.

During the session chaired by Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Minister for Information Shah Farman presented the bill on the assembly floor. The passage was supported unanimously with amendments based on the select committee’s recommendations from their earlier meetings. The K-P RTI Ordinance 2013 stands revoked after the passage of this bill.

“The RTI Act will make the government accountable on a daily basis to the people,” said Farman. Now people will not have to wait for elections to hold a government accountable, maintained the information minister.

Penalising freedom of information

“The act will make people stakeholders in the government as it will keep a check on the latter,” said Farman. However, this stake comes with a rather ominous caveat. He told the assembly, “Whosoever will use the law for mala fide intentions, we have made a provision to render it a crime.”

He was referring to the offence section of the K-P RTI Act 2013. In addition to other ‘wrongdoings’, clause 28 declares it is a criminal offence to wilfully “use the information obtained [under the RTI act] for mala fide purposes with ulterior motives.”

The clause further states, “anyone who commits an offence under sub-section (1) shall be liable to a fine not exceeding Rs50,000 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years.”

The RTI Act 2013 also contains exemptions regarding information sharing. Types of information which can be exempted from being shared with the public includes topics related to ‘international relations and security’, ‘disclosure harmful to law enforcement’, ‘public economic affairs’, ‘public money’, ‘privacy’, ‘legal privilege’, and ‘commercial and confidential information’.

The bill was not debated on the assembly floor as it was presented by a select committee comprising both opposition and treasury benches members. The committee incorporated 11 amendments and the assembly agreed to pass it without a clause-wise passage of the act or debate.

During the assembly session on 16th September – on a motion moved by Shah Farman – the house had referred the K-P RTI Bill 2013 to the select committee. With Minister for Information Farman as its chairman, its members included the late minister for law Israrullah Gandapur, deputy speaker Imtiaz Shahid Qureshi and lawmakers Syed Jafar Shah, Shah Hussain, Arbab Akbar Hayat, Ziaullah Bangash, Qurban Ali Khan, Samiullah Alizai, Muhammad Ali and Aamna Sardar.

The select committee held three meetings on October 3, October 7 and October 25 at the K-P Assembly Secretariat to examine and tweak the bill.

Early readings of the act suggest amendments other than clause 28 might not be as significant as the changes envisaged in the draft stages.

Express Tribune