Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Senate’s Standing Committee on Information, which met on Monday under the chairmanship of Senator Kamil Ali Agha, discussed at length the draft bill for the protection and security of journalists earlier prepared by its subcommittee and after some amendments decided to forward it to the Information Ministry.

The meeting was attended by Senators Sassui Palejo, Dr Ghaus Muhammad Khan Niazi, Sardar Muhammad Yaqub Khan Nasir and Farhatullah Babar.

Senators Nehal Hashmi, Khushbakht Shujat and Farhatullah Babar were included in the sub-committee.

Explaining the salient features of the draft bill, convener Senator Farhatullah Babar said that it provided for a council with representatives of journalist bodies, media safety experts, human rights activists nominated by the National Commission on Human Rights and special prosecutor to investigate and prosecute crimes against journalists, besides official representatives from ministries of information, interior, law and justice, PEMRA and principal information officer.

The council will operate a ‘journalists safety fund’ to assist journalists under attack, ascertain and address causes of impunity of crimes against journalists and formulate in consultation with APNS, PBA, CPNE and PBA and implement safety and security policies, said Babar

“The council has also been tasked to develop policies for digital safety and protection of online spaces of journalists needed for a safe environment for journalistic work,” he added. The scope of beneficiaries has been extended to cover all permanent and contractual journalists employed by private or state media organisations possessing valid accredited identification cards.

The bill is titled as the Journalists Safety, Security and Protection Act, 2017, extends to whole of Pakistan until relevant provincial laws are enacted and shall come into force at once.

Babar said that the UN recommendation of appointing a special prosecutor for crimes against journalists had also been included in the bill. The special prosecutor will oversee prosecution of the cases of crimes against journalists and also devise a mechanism for combating impunity of crimes against journalists, he said.

Senator Babar said that “the subcommittee was conscious that in a number of cases the official agencies were accused of involvement in crimes against journalists”. The special prosecutor shall also devise special systems to address allegations of involvement of state agencies, he added.

“This is a groundbreaking initiative and is along the line of the Right to Information Legislation to provide some mechanism for questioning agencies within a limited framework.”

A fund called Journalists Safety Fund to be administered by the council has also been provided. Initially the government will make a donation of Rs 200 million but every media organisation shall also make regular contributions towards it in proportion to the number of employees employed by it.

However, the committee decided to levy a fixed percentage of the revenue of each media house towards the fund and asked the Information Ministry for its inputs. The council shall also have the authority to raise its own funds from donations.

The Statement of Objects and Reasons states: Journalists and media persons have increasingly faced threats to their lives to prevent them from the performance of their professional duties. Unfortunately Pakistan ranks high among countries declared most dangerous for journalists. Scores of journalists have fallen victims of violence during the last decade and a half. Worse still, crimes against journalists have been taking place with impunity, and with exception of two or three case, there has been no conviction of the perpetrators of crimes against them.

“Protection of citizens against crimes is the responsibility of the state as clearly laid down in the constitution of Pakistan. Journalists face peculiar threats because of the nature of their duties to keep the public informed through reporting, analyses of events and expression of opinions. This calls for a focused and dedicated system of protecting them from occupational hazards. As such safety, security and protection of journalists were the shared responsibilities of all stakeholders namely the government, the media houses / organisations/ employers and the journalists themselves.

This bill seeks to address the issues involved in the safety, security and protection of journalists through a multi-pronged effort with shared responsibility of all stakeholders.

Regarding alleged mismanagement in the affairs of APP Balochistan, the committee was told that 25 out of 26 Balochistan domiciles had been verified and the employees were from Balochistan. Report on the remaining domicile would be shared soon. The committee directed officials concerned to take up the matter to fill the vacant slots soon.

Published in Daily Times, January 30^th 2018.