OUR STAFF REPORTERS
BAHAWALNAGAR/SIALKOT/ MIRPUR (AJK) - The safety of journalists should be ensured at any cost and legislation be introduced under UN Resolution 1736 , which demands the safety and welfare of the media persons, demanded speakers during various seminars here on Wednesday.
The seminar held in connection with World Press Freedom Day by Bahawalnagar Press Club and Rural Media Network Pakistan. On the occasion, late journalist Gulzar Ahmad Chaudhry was conferred with “Sadiq Press Freedom Award 2017” over his prolonged and tremendous struggle for freedom for press.
The speakers paid homage to the great sacrifices of journalists they rendered during their duty. The seminar was aimed to highlight the role and hardships of the working journalists. They also raised voice for the welfare and security of journalists.
Mr Gulzar Ahmad served for 57 years and was attributed with the high and refined journalistic values. His struggle was acknowledged by RMNP and conferred him with Sadiq Press Freedom Award 2017. The award and cash prize Rs50,000 were presented by Mr Ehsan Ahmad Sehar, the president of RMNP, to his son Ahmad Chaudhry.
The speakers unanimously urged legislation for the safety and welfare of the journalists. The journalists should also be engaged for consultation, they demanded. The government should update the judicial status of murdered journalists to the director general of UNESCO they said.
The public prosecutors should be appointed at federal and provincial levels for pursuing the torture incidents against journalists and human right defenders, they said. The legislation made to stop the harassment of women journalists at their workplace should be well implemented. The widows of murdered journalists should be well compensated, the speakers demanded.
Earlier, the RMNP leaders Suleman and Syed Tanveer conducted training session of local journalists about their safety in rural areas. After training session, safety and reporting manuals were distributed to the journalists.
Sialkot journalists took out a walk to mark the importance of the World Press Freedom Day. A walk began from Sialkot Press Club Sialkot and ended at Allama Iqbal Chowk after passing through the main inter-city roads. The participants were carrying banners and placards. They also chanted slogans in favour of press freedom and for the protection of the rights of the journalists , terming them the eyes and the ears of society.
Speakers said that the journalists are the eyes and ears of the society. They have been playing the pivotal role in smoothening the public opinion and highlighting the social and national issues through the positive criticism.
They stated this while addressing the participants of a seminar held at Sialkot Press Club Sialkot here today in connection with the World Press Freedom Day.
They said that bringing betterment in mutual working relationship with the journalists should be the priority of the government. They added that the government should make all out sincere efforts for the amicable solution to these problems as well.
Like rest of the world, the World Press Freedom Day was commemorated across Azad Jammu Kashmir on Wednesday with the unanimous demand for the grant of complete freedom to the press the world over including Held Kashmir.
Special ceremonies were held in various parts of Azad Jammu Kashmir under the auspices of various journalist organisations and Press Clubs to observe the day which provides an opportunity to the press to recount their outcomes over the previous years.
In Mirpur, major ceremony to observe the day was held under the auspices of the Azad Jammu & Kashmir Union of Journalists at its head office at Sajid Plaza in the city. Addressing the ceremony, speakers emphasised the need for collective efforts by the international community to ensure the complete freedom of press all over the world particularly in those areas where the oppressive forces were engaged in imposing curbs to gag the voice of media.
They said that since press enjoys the status of the fourth and important pillar of a state it was imperative for the governments and the nations to ensure its full freedom for the emergence of better and healthy society.
Speakers strongly condemned the undue massive sanctions imposed against the freedom of press by the Indian occupational forces in the Indian Held Jammu & Kashmir with clandestine and malicious motives to gag their voice in support of Kashmiris ongoing struggle for liberation of the motherland from Indian subjugation. They called upon the international human rights and journalists organisations including the Reporters Without Borders, World Journalists Forum and others to take immediate notice of the continued reign of Indian state terrorism and violence against innocent Kashmiris.
They observed that it was a matter of grave concern over the recent analytical reports of the world’s journalists forums, Pakistan also stands among the nations where journalists were facing threats during the performance of their professional duties. They demanded the government ensure the safety of the lives and properties of the media personnel in the country.
The speakers, however, appreciated that because of the complete free-media policy of the government of Pakistan, the media in the country was enjoying full freedom as compared to the past. In various past dictatorial regimes, the press suffered various sanctions like censorship, they recalled. They said that since the press and a nation rise and fall together, freedom of expression was imperative for building of a strong stable and healthy nation.
They called upon the government of AJK to get ensured the implementation of the forthcoming 8th wage board award by the owners of the newspapers of the country vis-à-vis the early grant of the stipulated retainership allowance for the AJK-based correspondents and reporters of various national and regional dailies and periodicals. The 7th Wage Board Award also clearly speaks of the regular payment of the stipulated retainer ship allowance to the newspaper correspondents performing duties in the district and tehsil headquarters in Azad Kashmir.
They also suggested for the managing of inter-provincial tours of AJK journalists as well as the holding of the capacity-building workshops for journalists in all 10 district headquarters of AJK by the state government to ensure their quality working.
They said that every year, scores of journalists in various parts of the world suffered the highhandedness of the concerned state during their untiring efforts and aspirations for performance of their professional duties in a free atmosphere. They paid rich tributes to those lost their lives during performance of their professional duties in various parts of the world.