LAHORE, Oct 19: The Punjab Union of Journalists (PUJ) has urged the government to take steps to protect journalists covering public events. During a meeting of the union’s executive committee held here on Friday, PUJ President Arif Hameed Bhatti condoled the death of ARY cameraman Arif Khan and expressed sympathies with Dawn TV and Apna Channel and other enterprises’ injured journalists and members of the general public in Thursday night’s Karachi blasts.

Mr Bhatti said the government was spending millions of rupees on the security of bureaucrats and ministers, but no attention was being paid to provide security to media men and women covering their activities.

He said the government should take steps to protect media personnel covering such events and print and electronic media managements should get their lives insured so that their dependents could get financial assistance in the event of any mishap.

The PUJ president said journalists would be constrained to boycott the coverage of government functions in case the government failed to ensure their safety. —Reporter