By Our Staff Reporter
Islamabad: On Monday, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and the Freedom Network called on the federal government to initiate legislation to protect journalists in the region.
The demand came as the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists and Media was observed globally, including Pakistan, on 2 November.
“As Pakistan remains among the top 10 countries where the predators of attacks on journalists and the media remain unpunished, we call for immediate legislation to protect journalists and to reverse the current situation affecting freedom of speech negatively,” said PFUJ and FN in a joint statement released on Monday.
They also said that no one has so far been convicted by a court of law for crimes against journalists in Pakistan.
“As a result, Pakistan is among the few countries where impunity for crimes against journalists is taking root. Independent and competent journalism is not possible in such an atmosphere of fear …. We can not tolerate any more delay in the implementation of legislation,” the two organizations said.
The Cabinet further asked to quickly approve the draft resolution on the safety of journalists prepared by the Federal Minister for Human Rights, Shireen Mazari, after consultation with stakeholders.
The United Nations General Assembly, in its General Assembly Resolution A / RES/68/163, proclaimed November 2 as the “International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists” which urges UN Member States to take definite action against the present culture where crimes against journalists are committed with impunity.
More than 130 journalists have been killed in Pakistan since 2002 and not a single person has been convicted, encouraging complete immunity for the murderers read the statement. Besides fatal attacks, journalists face other categories of threats such as physical attacks, kidnappings, enforced disappearances, imprisonment, and torture.
(Inputs from ANI)