Solangi vows to protect media workers’ rights

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi on Friday said all-out efforts would be made to protect the rights of journalists and media workers to further strengthen democracy in the country.

Addressing a seminar on “International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists”, he stressed on a collaboration between the government and media organizations for evolving an emergency mechanism to respond to any untoward incident against journalists and media workers efficiently. The caretaker government had been taking steps to prevent any crime against journalists, he said while citing different occasions when he himself took the lead to protect journalists and media workers’ rights during the last couple of months.

“The journalists are supposed to report news but it is very unfortunate that sometimes they themselves become a news,” he regretted. Solangi vowed to ensure arrest of those who were involved in the killing of senior journalist Jan Mohammad Mahar.

He said the government would ensure job security of journalists and media workers at all the costs. A clear mechanism in that regard was mentioned in the PEMRA (Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority) Amendments Act. He urged the journalists to inform people about the facts and real issues so that the parties and candidates contesting elections proposed concrete steps for addressing the same. The minister said the caretaker government was committed to uphold democracy and rule of law in the country. “We are legally and morally bound to provide a level-playing field to all the political parties during elections.”

He said likewise, the media was also ought to do honest reporting on the elections especially by sensitizing the masses about facts and real issues. As regards the elections, he said announcement of the polls’ date had removed all the doubts in that regard. “We are saying from the very beginning that the Election Commission will fulfill its responsibility in accordance with the law.”