KARACHI: The president of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE), Arif Nizami, has asked the federal government to have separate legislations for the protection of media persons and media freedom in Pakistan.

He said the draft bill, which was approved by the federal cabinet two days ago, is actually a junk and mixture of two draft laws, one prepared by the ministry of human rights and the other by the information ministry.

The CPNE chief said that amalgamated draft bill had undermined the significance of safety and protection of media professionals. The CPNE in a press release urged the federal government to review the bill so that it may be converted into two separate laws.

He said that all stakeholders had already submitted their proposals to the federal government in connection with the legislation for safety and protections of media professionals. The government must ensure safety and protection of media professionals as guaranteed by the Constitution.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2020