ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said media freedom and democracy reinforced each other and expressed his government’s resolve to support an environment for journalists free of intimidation and harassment.

“My government believes that no journalist or human rights activist should be called out in the line of duty,” he said, expressing his firm resolve to proactively facilitate the implementation of the journalist’s protection act.

Addressing an event to mark ten years of the United Nations’ Plan of Action organised by Journalist Safety Forum, the prime minister termed free media and freedom of expression the important pillars of the state.

PM vows ‘proactive’ implementation of law to protect journalists

He said journalists of the country over the years greatly contributed to press freedom and mentioned that Hamid Mir, as the chairperson of the Journalist Safety Forum, faced difficult challenges, including an attempt on his life.

He termed the killing of prominent journalist Arshad Sharif an “extremely sad incident” and said that after the killing, he spoke to the government of Kenya and later wrote a letter to the chief justice to form a judicial commission.

He termed the 1973C constitution “a very sacred document” which acted as a binding force among the units of the federation and ensured democratic values besides ensuring the basic rights of citizens.

In 2013, he said, Pakistan became the first country in Asia to pass legislation on the safety of journalists, and last year, the parliament passed the landmark law -- ‘Protection of Journalists and Media Protection Act’.

Ambassador of France Nicolas Galey said freedom of expression could not be termed as an obstacle in the working of a government and emphasised the need to promote the safety of journalists, media pluralism, and the right to inform and be informed.

Ambassador of Denmark Jakob Linulf said it was crucial to promote freedom of expression and ensure a safe environment for journalists.

Ambassador of Norway Per Albert Ilsaas said that “best quality journalism” provided proper information and ensured democratic values. Pakistani journalists “self-censored” the content, which could otherwise be said directly, such as the use of the word “establishment”, he added.

Journalist Safety Forum head Hamid Mir proposed that federal and Sindh governments must notify the safety commissions under the laws passed by the National Assembly and stressed the passage of similar laws for the journalists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Punjab.

He demanded immediate removal of Section 6 from the law, which acts as a pre-qualifier for journalists before benefiting from the law, and pointed out that it was “mysteriously” added to the final draft bill without the knowledge of journalists.

He called for taking journalists out of the purview of online expression through laws such as Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) or other regulations and emphasised support by the federal and provincial governments against attacks, intimidation, and harassment of women journalists.

Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2022