PESHAWAR, Aug 21: Journalists at a seminar held here on Monday urged the superior judiciary to take suo motu notice of cold-blooded killings of three tribal journalists when they were discharging their professional duty in the North and South Waziristan areas.

Journalists Hayatullah Khan Dawar, Allah Noor and Amir Nawab have been killed in two different incidents since Feb 2005.

“There are cases where journalists have raised the issue of violation of their rights despite threats to their life only because of professional devotion,” said the speakers at the seminar entitled “Human Rights and Media” organised by the Fazaldad Human Rights Institute (FHRI).

The speakers were of the view that neither media was free nor journalists were enjoying freedom and it amounted to violation of their human rights. They said the journalists in Peshawar, a sensitive and internationally important city due to the ‘war against terrorism’ and for being located near Pakistan-Afghanistan border, were working in hostile environment.

The media, they said, was alone in raising human rights issues and was not getting any support from the civil society.

Fakhar Kaka Khel, representing the electronic media, said that it was extremely difficult for electronic media people to physically go and investigate into human rights violations because of insufficient security and interference of the state and some opponent groups in their work.

The participants demanded that various state agencies should stop interference in the working of media people.

Dr Qibla Ayaz, Dean Faculty of Islamic and Oriental studies, University of Peshawar, said that media institutions should be strengthened. “Islam is a pro-life religion and there should be a strong media to raise issue of human rights violations,” he added.

Other speakers said that media had raised many human rights violation cases like that of Mukhtara Mai. It had been playing its role effectively but there was a need to bring all human rights violation in lime light and to increase awareness among people about their rights and responsibilities.

Naeem Sarfraz, chairman FHRI, said that objective of the training programmes for teachers, administrations, judges, police and media was to re-affirm message of tolerance.

“Intolerance is increasing and resulting in human rights violations. Talibanisation and extremism is gaining ground in Pakistan and has become an issue,” he said, adding that media could play an important role in increasing awareness about human rights.

Mrs Sameena Imtiaz, executive director of the Peace, Education and Development Fundation, while discussing portrayal of women in the media, said media could make or distort image of women. She stressed the need for increasing awareness on women’s issues.