Yet another journalist, Mahmood Jan Afridi, the president of Kalat Press Club, was killed as a target on Friday two days after Malik Mumtaz Khan from North Waziristan meeting the same fate. This leaves Pakistan one of the most dangerous country for media persons to carry on their professional work. They are target of not militants alone but other pressure groups like sectarian elements, tribal chiefs, feudal lords, law enforcing agencies and even political parties. All provincial governments have failed to ensure media people's safety and security which is their national duty.
The Pakistan Press Foundation reported last month that at least 48 journalists have been killed in the line of duty in Pakistan in last one decade and 35 of them were targeted and murdered because of their work. In 2012 alone, six journalists were killed in the country. For every journalist who has been targeted and murdered, there are many others who have been injured, threatened and coerced into silence. They are also unjustly detained, abducted, beaten and threatened by law enforcement and intelligence agencies, militants, tribal and feudal lords as well as. Of the 48 journalists killed in the line of duty during these 11 years, 14 were from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 12 from Balochistan, nine from Sindh, eight from Federally Administrated Tribal Agencies, three from Punjab and two from Islamabad. Because of the Afghanistan war and the so called war on terror, areas bordering Afghanistan are the most dangerous regions for journalists. Those working in FATA, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan work under extremely stressful conditions with pressure being wielded by all concerned.
Another factor for the undue pressure on media person is the electronic media houses seek the minutest details of the most dreadful incident in competition to get the latest "Breaking News" and advertisements without their proper safety. Pakistani journalists are also often caught between competing power centers. For example, recently the Balochistan High Court directed journalists not to report news of banned organizations; while these banned organizations exert pressure on local media to give them 'proper' coverage. The alarming increase in violence and threats has forced many journalists to migrate from these danger zones. According to some estimates, one-third of FATA journalists have already moved to other areas or gave up the profession.
The situation demands that criminal cases should be registered, investigated and prosecuted against the perpetrators of violence against media persons. Also an independent commission comprising professional media organizations, press freedom and human rights organizations and professional bodies of journalists and lawyers should be established for monitoring criminal investigations and legal follow-up of such cases. Besides, local, national and international print, electronic and online media organizations should ensure long-term follow up of cases of assault on media organizations and workers.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Pakistan: Targeting journalists
Yet another journalist, Mahmood Jan Afridi, the president of Kalat Press Club, was killed as a target on Friday two days after Malik Mumtaz Khan from North Waziristan meeting the same fate. This leaves Pakistan one of the most dangerous country for media persons to carry on their professional work. They are target of not militants alone but other pressure groups like sectarian elements, tribal chiefs, feudal lords, law enforcing agencies and even political parties. All provincial governments have failed to ensure media people's safety and security which is their national duty.
The Pakistan Press Foundation reported last month that at least 48 journalists have been killed in the line of duty in Pakistan in last one decade and 35 of them were targeted and murdered because of their work. In 2012 alone, six journalists were killed in the country. For every journalist who has been targeted and murdered, there are many others who have been injured, threatened and coerced into silence. They are also unjustly detained, abducted, beaten and threatened by law enforcement and intelligence agencies, militants, tribal and feudal lords as well as. Of the 48 journalists killed in the line of duty during these 11 years, 14 were from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 12 from Balochistan, nine from Sindh, eight from Federally Administrated Tribal Agencies, three from Punjab and two from Islamabad. Because of the Afghanistan war and the so called war on terror, areas bordering Afghanistan are the most dangerous regions for journalists. Those working in FATA, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan work under extremely stressful conditions with pressure being wielded by all concerned.
Another factor for the undue pressure on media person is the electronic media houses seek the minutest details of the most dreadful incident in competition to get the latest "Breaking News" and advertisements without their proper safety. Pakistani journalists are also often caught between competing power centers. For example, recently the Balochistan High Court directed journalists not to report news of banned organizations; while these banned organizations exert pressure on local media to give them 'proper' coverage. The alarming increase in violence and threats has forced many journalists to migrate from these danger zones. According to some estimates, one-third of FATA journalists have already moved to other areas or gave up the profession.
The situation demands that criminal cases should be registered, investigated and prosecuted against the perpetrators of violence against media persons. Also an independent commission comprising professional media organizations, press freedom and human rights organizations and professional bodies of journalists and lawyers should be established for monitoring criminal investigations and legal follow-up of such cases. Besides, local, national and international print, electronic and online media organizations should ensure long-term follow up of cases of assault on media organizations and workers.
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