15 journalists murdered, 357 arrested since May 2007. Not even a single murder accused arrested. Islamabad remained unsafest place for journalists
SLAMABAD: World Press Freedom Day is being celebrated across the globe to pay tributes to journalists, who lost their lives while performing their professional duties.
A report issued by a media research organisation says that Islamabad has been emerged as the media threat capital as it is the most dangerous place in Pakistan to practice journalism. In Islamabad alone, at least 143 out of 368 cases of intimidation have been registered against the media personnel. The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) will observe the day by issuing a report on media curbs in Pakistan today. It will reveal circumstances in which Pakistani journalists were harassed, intimidated, abducted, tortured and killed while performing their duties last year.
Despite facing all brutalities of the state agencies including police, law enforcement agencies and plainclothesmen, the media played a responsible role in creating awareness among public regarding critical issues by functioning like a watchdog especially on the political scenario. Various NGOs and media research organisations will also release facts and figures on the occasion of World Press Freedom day.
One such report issued by Intermedia, a media development organisation, says that the last 12 months proved the worst for media in the country's history. From May 2007 to May 2008, at least 15 journalists were murdered, 357 arrested, 123 sustained injuries following physical assault and 154 were threatened or harassed.
The report says 18 incidents of attacks and ransacking on media property took place in the period while the government issued media gagging orders 88 times. The report titled 'Murder and Mayhem: The Worst Year for Media in Pakistan,' reveals that about 700 journalists faces physical violence in the last 12 months while hundreds were harassed or threatened.
The report says at least 14 journalists were killed - the highest number ever for any year in Pakistan. Surprisingly, not even a single accused was arrested by the police for reasons unknown.
In 53 incidents, at least 123 journalists were attacked or assaulted - mostly by police and law enforcement agencies - all of them sustaining injuries. Of these 58 journalists were injured in Islamabad, 30 in Sindh, 13 in Punjab, 11 in NWFP, six in Balochistan, five in Fata and two in Northern Areas. The report reveals during the last 12 months on an average, every 26th day a journalist died in Pakistan, one was arrested or abducted everyday, one was assaulted and injured every third day, one was explicitly threatened every third day, media property was attacked every 20th day and a gagging order was issued every 5th day.
Overall, incidents of intimidation against media - most of them threatening or physical violence - took place more than once a day. In short, on an average there was not a single day when the media was not under attack in Pakistan in the period.
The report to be issued by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists says the government clamped down on media resulting in ban on 45 private TV and radio channels on November 3, when Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf imposed a state of emergency.
The government promulgated two anti-media ordinances - one for print media and the other for electronic media. Later, when the media blackout ended, the government banned TV journalists including Dr Shahid Masood, Hamid Mir, Kashif Abbasi, Asma Sheraiz, Talat Hussain, Nusrat Javeed and Mushtaq Minas.
The Intermedia report says at least 154 times journalists were intimidated including threats on phone, in writing, by email or other stark warnings such as sending them live bullets. Of these cases, 66 were took place in Islamabad, 44 in Sindh, 21 in Punjab, 12 in NWFP, six in Fata, three in Balochistan and one each in Northern Areas and Azad Kashmir. Attacks or ransacking of media property including offices of newspapers, TV channels, radio stations, press clubs, media associations and union offices stood at 18. In the cities, three journalists were murdered, seven arrested, 58 injured and 66 harassed or explicitly threatened while three times media property was attacked and 47 times the media organisations received threats. Sindh remained the second most dangerous place to practice journalism in Pakistan with a total of 93 cases of intimidation, Punjab third with 48 cases while 30 cases were recorded in NWFP, 23 in Balochistan, 16 in Fata, 12 in AJK and three in Northern Areas.
Meanwhile, the PFUJ report while suggesting precautionary measures to cope with the alarming situation, says that media group owners should provide safety training courses, life insurance, life saving jackets and better working conditions to the journalists. Untrained journalists, cameramen and other staffers should not be sent to cover conflicting events. All those killed last year were neither trained nor insured.
The PFUJ thanks the International Journalists Community particularly International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), which sent three fact-finding missions to Pakistan in last 15 months to asses the situation in Pakistan. The IFJ also supported the freedom struggle of Pakistani journalists and provided them support in those crucial phases. Besides, New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Paris-based reporters and Sri-Lanka's Freed Media Movement expressed solidarity with the Pakistani journalists.
SOURCE: [url=http://thepost.com.pk/ShortNewsT.aspx?shortid=5882&catid=2]http://thepost.com.pk/ShortNewsT.aspx?shortid=5882&catid=2[/url]
