Journalists and media professionals in Punjab, in general, and in southern region, in particular, face serious safety challenges during their course of work. They are being harassed, tortured, abducted and even killed with impunity in the region. Absence of a specialized legal and institutional mechanism and structure to curb this culture of impunity is making their work extremely difficult.” This was said by the participants of a journalist safety law clinic, organized by the Institute for Research, Advocacy and Development (IRADA) at Multan Press Club.
Aftab Alam, a media law expert and executive director of IRADA informed the participants that special laws for protection of journalists were enacted in Sindh province and at the Federal level. However, he mentioned, there is no such law for the journalists in Punjab province. He added that UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, which Pakistan endorsed in 2013, requires enactment of special law for protection of journalists and media professionals / practitioners. During the clinic, Mr. Alam provided an overview of the federal Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act, 2021. While recognizing this law as a significant step at the national level, he stressed that “Punjab, despite being the most populous province and home to a large media workforce, has yet to introduce its own journalist safety law. This legislative gap leaves many journalists, particularly those in smaller towns and rural areas, vulnerable to threats, harassment, and violence,” he stated.
In the clinic, participants shared their firsthand accounts of increasing challenges including surveillance, intimidation, and limited legal support by different non state actors. They stressed that the absence of a provincial framework leaves journalists unprotected in the field, particularly those reporting from remote and politically risk zones of South Punjab. The clinic also facilitated dialogue on the roles of law enforcement, legal rights of journalists, procedures for threat reporting, and the importance of active journalist unions. The attendees emphasized the need for sustained legal awareness, social support, and emergency response systems for journalists at risk.
Local journalist Aneela Ashraf stated, “We are often the first to report from the ground, but we are also the least protected. A provincial law would give us both security and access to justice.” Farhan Anjum, a senior journalist and Finance Secretary of from Multan Press Club, added, “We’ve waited long enough. Punjab must have its own provincial journalist safety law and in the absence of it, Punjab Journalists Safety Committee should have its South Punjab Chapter to cater the safety of the journalists for effective and efficient implementation of the law.”