Protection for journalists

Not without reason does Pakistan sit near the top of the list of the most dangerous countries for journalists. Journalism is a profession which if practised with integrity, manages to irk both those at the top of the food chain as well as the bottom feeders. Journalists regularly receive threats and these are sometimes followed through in a brutal manner. Over the years, reporters have been kidnapped, beaten and killed. Their places of work have had to turn into mini-fortresses with multiple layers of security to prevent attacks. Journalists have had their work censored due to fears of retaliation, or they have had to practise self-censorship for the same reason. There is a built-in culture of impunity that allows crimes against journalists go uninvestigated and unpunished and this, in turn, encourages offended parties to take matters into their own hands when they are presented in an unfavourable light by the media.

Given these circumstances, we welcome the decision by the district and sessions court of Karak to convict the killer of Ayub Khattak, a senior journalist in the area. The accused has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a fine of Rs500,000 for shooting Mr Khattak to death outside his home in October 2013. Unfortunately, it is not often that the law-enforcement agencies and courts of Pakistan decide to take an interest in the frequent threats and attakcs faced by the journalist community. Little is on offer in the way of protection and the prospect of sudden and violent death is seen as part of the job if one chooses to take on some of the more contentious issues. This is a widespread problem faced both by local and national media outlets and their reporters. The power of the pen rarely protects against bullets. If our elected representatives wish to present a more positive image of the country abroad as they frequently claim, a firmer stance on protection of media personnel would be a good place to start. Pakistan is not a war zone like Syria or Iraq but for those wearing a press badge, it can sometimes feel that way.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20^th, 2016.

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