ISLAMABAD: The Senate’s Committee on Information on Thursday rejected a government bill on safety of journalists and set up a three-member sub-committee to draft legislation in consultation with stakeholders.
It will be tabled as a private members’ bill in case the government does not own it. The decision was taken on Thursday in a meeting of the committee, presided over by Senator Kamil Ali Agha.
Senators Nehal Hashmi, Karim Ahmad Khawaja, Mian Attiq Sheikh, Sardar Azam Khan Musakhel and Farhatullah Babar were also present. The sub-committee, comprising Senators Farhatullah Babar, Nehal Hashmi and Khushbakht Shujaat, was tasked with completing draft legislation within two months.
The decision was taken during a briefing given on the government bill, which the Information Ministry said had already been sent to the PM House for approval to place it before the cabinet at its next meeting.
Approval from the cabinet is mandatory before a government bill is tabled. Reacting to the government bill, Senator Farhatullah Babar said that it did not address the central issue concerning the safety and protection of journalists.
“The bill merely pays lip service and makes a vague declaration about the ‘security of tenure’ and ‘congenial working conditions’ for journalists. Security of tenure is one thing and security of life of media persons from attacks by state and non state actors quite another he said.
Journalists need security and protection from murderous assaults,” he said. He said that the UN had provided guidelines in this regard and asked the Information Ministry to follow the guidelines which called for setting up a special public prosecutor to pursue court cases of assaults against journalists. “Presently, a great impediment in the way for providing security to journalists is that they are on their own in defending themselves. Neither the government, nor the media houses come forward to protect them when they need it,” he said. “While the cameras and equipment is insured, the young men and women behind the cameras are not,” he said.
Published in Daily Times, November 17th 2017.
