Islamabad: On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) urged the Shahbaz government to protect the rights of media personnel and journalists amid rising human rights violations against the media in Pakistan.
In a joint statement issued on Monday, PFUJ President Shahzada Zulfiqar and General Secretary Nasser Zaidi underlined the importance of freedom of the press, freedom of expression. As Dawn reported, he said, “Freedom of the press is the hallmark of any developed and healthy society and cannot be compromised.”
According to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Pakistan has been ranked as the fifth most dangerous place for the practice of journalism.
According to media reports, between 1990 and 2020, 138 media persons lost their lives in the line of duty in the country.
Expressing concern over the state of media freedom in Pakistan, the PFUJ said, “In at least nine cases, journalists were intimidated or completely silenced, whether through assault, forced disappearance, murder or direct censorship.” be in form.’
According to the Dawn report, he termed the tenure of the PTI government as terrible for the media. Also media persons were harassed by PTI activists and even women journalists and anchors were harassed and trolled by cabinet members, which cannot be seen in any civilized society.
The statement said that the government should immediately create an environment for freedom of the press so that dialogue can be initiated with the stakeholders so that the freedom of the press can be protected in the country. Let us tell you that Pakistan remains in the top 10 countries where the accused of attacks on journalists and media do not get any punishment.
In addition to deadly attacks, journalists face other categories of threats such as physical assault, kidnapping, forced disappearance, imprisonment and torture.
first published:May 3, 2022, 4:23 pm