KARACHI: Local and foreign journalists attending a three-day conference here on Sunday called upon the government of Pakistan to implement all instruments on protection of journalists the country is signatory to, including resolutions, covenants and declarations of the UN.

They also demanded creation of a ‘solidarity fund’ for families of the journalists killed in the line of duty.

The demands were made in a declaration adopted on the final day of the conference organised by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) headed by Rana Azeem and the Karachi Union of Journalists.

The conference spread over 16 sessions was attended by journalists from 15 countries, including representatives of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and other unions, who deliberated on issues such as impunity against journalists, the rise of social media and embedded journalism.

The declaration — signed by the PFUJ leaders and IFJ Deputy Secretary General Anthony Bellanger on behalf of IFJ President Jim Boumelha — recalled that more than 100 journalists had been killed in Pakistan in the last 10 years, making it one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists.

To end impunity against journalists, measures mentioned in the international instruments aimed at protecting them should be included in the country’s laws, said the declaration. The judicial system should be overhauled to meet the objective.

The declaration urged the authorities to establish the right of families of the slain journalists to adequate compensation and to set up a ‘solidarity fund’ for the affected families.

The media organisations, it said, were duty-bound to ensure the safety of journalists and to provide them proper training and equipment. The journalists should be given the provision of life insurance.

Meanwhile, Indian journalist Sabina Inderjeet said in a presentation that barring the emergency of 1975-77 there never was state censorship in India. “Thanks to a vibrant media, India is a vibrant democracy,” she said.

Lately, however, some aberrations have been creeping in.

Pointing towards a dangerous trend, she said some media organisations expected to be paid “for favourable coverage of political parties and candidates — a stark case of money power in elections, which is dangerous for democracy”.

William Oloo of Kenya, Martin O’Hanlon of Canada, Sameera Aziz of Saudi Arabia and Qammar Abbas Jafri of the Voice of America also addressed the conference.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2015

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