LAHORE, Oct 14: The South Asian Free Media Association (Safma) has urged the journalist community in the region and the world in particular to come to the rescue of journalists affected by the earthquake in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Northern Areas.

In a statement issued here on Friday, secretary-general Imtiaz Alam said Safma has created a separate account under its subsidiary Free Media Foundation with the title Journalists Rehabilitation Fund to support the aggrieved journalists. The account, No 6214212199001, is maintained with Union Bank.

A committee comprising five senior journalists — The News Current Affairs Editor Imtiaz Alam; Dawn, Islamabad, Resident Editor M. Ziauddin; The Post Resident Editor Nusrat Javed; Mashriq Chief Editor Mustansar Javed; and South Asian Media Monitor Editor Husain Naqi — has been formed to set the criteria and supervise distribution of funds among the most deserving.

The Safma central secretariat and its employees had donated their one week’s salary, while Safma secretary-general has personally donated Rs100,000 to the fund.

The Safma Media Centre at House No 4-B, Street 62, F-7/4, Islamabad, has been converted into the relief centre for the affected journalists and their families.