PESHAWAR: Journalists, civil society members and lawyers have formed a provincial working group on media safety and security with the aim to make collective efforts to combat impunity against journalists and to devise a strategy in this regard.

According to a press release issued by the Institute for Research, Advocacy and Development (Irada), it organised the working group meeting in collaboration with the Unesco.

The participants representing the journalists’ community discussed threats to mediapersons and put forward suggestions to combat impunity.

The working group would comprise representatives from Khyber Union of Journalists, Peshawar Press Club, Tribal Union of Journalists, lawyers, civil society and Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. The meeting decided to build a coalition for legal framework to combat impunity of journalists’ killings.

The working group will establish a provincial steering committee comprising media stakeholders and civil society members which will form terms of reference for the group as well as for the committee.

The meeting discussed the issues and challenges of journalists’ safety, freedom of expression and right to information in Pakistan. The participants were of the opinion that mediapersons were faced with threats from state and non-state actors.

Pakistan has been declared one of the most dangerous countries of the world for journalists. In 2014, one journalist and three mediapersons were killed in the country.

A UN-supported international conference in Islamabad in 2013 had established the Pakistan Coalition on Media Safety to serve as the platform for collaborative measures to combat impunity against journalists in Pakistan and to mobilise ideas resources, initiatives and actions.

The speakers stressed for unity among different journalists bodies’ to work together for safety of the fellow journalists.

Dr Khadim Hussain, managing director Bacha Khan Trust Educational Foundation, KhUJ president Nisar Mehmood, PPC general secretary Fida Adeel, and journalists Shamim Shahid and Faridullah Khan also spoke on the occasion.