Up in arms: Tribal journalists take to the streets in city

Explain problems they face while reporting on militancy

PESHAWAR: Members of the media protested the murder of their fellow journalists in different parts of the province and tribal region on Tuesday and demanded protection for journalists working there.

The rally started from Peshawar Press Club and ended in front of Governor House in K-P. A large group of journalists from the seven agencies and frontier regions of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) as well as the province attended the rally. Many, including Tribal Union of Journalists (TUJ) Co-Founder Sylab Mehsood, Peshawar Press Club President Syed Bukhar Shah and South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) K-P member Farzana, addressed the gathering.

One of the speakers said, “Media is considered the fourth pillar of the state, and yet we are living a life under constant threats. Every journalist has imposed self-censorship while the government has failed to protect us.”

Talking to The Express Tribune, TUJ Co-Founder and Darra Adam Khel-based journalist Munawar Afridi said, “In the past, most of our threats came from the political administration. However, ever since 9/11, the region saw a surge in militancy and our style of reporting had to change.”

He said most of his colleagues were forced to quit their jobs because of threats to their lives while many started employing a policy of self-censorship in their stories when reporting on militancy issues. “We have no protection when it comes to reporting in the war zone. The organisations we work for have no life insurance policy and the government doesn’t provide us with any protection whatsoever,” Afridi added.

Safdar Dawar, former president of TUJ, told The Express Tribune 14 journalists have been killed in Fata in the last few years ever since militancy raged in the region. Zaman Mehsud and Hafeezur Rehman are among the latest, they were killed in Tank and Kohat respectively. Dawar said the government has not compensated the children of the slain journalists and today their children are facing financial problems. “We face problems in reporting from the society, from the government and from the stakeholders of the issue, on which we are reporting. Therefore, we need a lot more support,” he said.

Naseer Azam, a DI Khan-based journalist told The Express Tribune he had to leave his house in DI Khan after receiving threats the same month when his fellow journalist Zaman was killed. He informed the high-ranking officials in the information department and district administration about the threat but to no avail. “My life is more precious than my job. Unfortunately, I will have to quit if I am not provided with security,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 2^nd, 2015.