Senate panel finalises bill on safety of journalists

Draft bills sent to information ministry for approval

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting on Monday finalised a bill for the protection and security of journalists.

The bill has been drafted by a sub-committee of the Senate panel and forwarded to the information ministry for setting its tone and tenor before presenting it in the upper house.

The standing committee meeting, held under the chairmanship of Senator Kamil Ali Agha, discussed the draft bill at length, and after suggesting some amendments decided to forward it to the information ministry.



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

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

Explaining the salient features of the draft bill, convener of the sub-committee Senator Farhatullah Babar stated that it provided for a council with representatives of journalistic bodies, media safety experts and human rights activists nominated by the National Commission on Human Rights.

He added that a special prosecutor would also be part of the council to investigate and prosecute crimes against journalists, including representatives from the ministries of information, interior, law and justice, PEMRA and principal information officer of the Press Information Department.

As per the bill, the council shall operate a Journalists Safety Fund to assist the journalists under attack and ascertain and address causes of impunity of crimes against journalists. The council shall formulate and implement safety and security policies in consultation with the All Pakistan Newspaper Society, the Pakistan Broadcasting Association and the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editor.

The council has also been tasked with developing policies for digital safety and protection of online spaces for journalists needed for a safe environment for journalistic work.

The scope of beneficiaries has been extended to cover all permanent and contractual journalists employed by the private or state media, possessing valid accredited identification cards.

Senator Babar informed that committee that a special prosecutor would oversee prosecution of cases of crimes against journalists and also devise a mechanism for combating impunity of crimes against journalists.

“This is a ground-breaking initiative and is along the line of the right to information legislation to provide some mechanism for questioning agencies within a limited framework,” he said.



The committee also discussed a fund called Journalists Safety Fund to be administered by the council. The bill suggests that initially the government will make a donation of Rs200 million but every media organisation should also make regular contributions towards it in proportion to the number of employees employed by it.

Senator Agha, meanwhile, insisted on fixing the percentage of donation from media organisations, but Sassui and Babar failed to reach a common point, and suggested that the issue should be left for the council to decide.

The statement of objects and reasons of the bill states that journalists and media persons have increasingly faced threats to their lives which prevent them from performing 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.  This calls for a focused and dedicated system for protecting them from occupational hazards, and 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.