LAHORE:
Reporters and journalist associations commemorated the World Press Freedom Day on Thursday demanding for greater press freedom and security.
A rally organised by the Punjab Union of Journalists and the Lahore Press Club started from the press club and ended near the Punjab Assembly where a candle light vigil was organised. The protestors condemned politically motivated attacks on the media and demanded that the press be allowed to carry out its duties without any pressure.
Dozens of reporters participated in a vigil organised by the Electronic Media Reporters Association (EMRA) at Liberty Chowk. The vigil was also attended by members of various political parties and media agencies. EMRA president Tanveer Shahzad said journalists in Pakistan faced critically challenging situations while reporting and the state should work to protect the journalists.
Pictures of journalists, including Saleem Shahzad, Mukarram Khan, Wali Babar, Moosa Khan and Sirajuddin, who had been killed recently were also displayed at the vigil. Shumaila Rana said journalism was the fourth pillar of the state. Jamaat-i-Islami leader Fareed Paracha paid a tribute to the journalists who had laid down their lives, calling them “warriors with the pen”.
Asim Naseer, general secretary of EMRA, told The Express Tribune that with an annual increase in the number of reporters being killed in Pakistan, the situation was very grim.
“With journalists facing pressures especially in political beats, it has become immensely difficult to do justice to reporting,” he said. Naseer said not only press freedom was being curtailed but also lives of journalists were at risk.
“We stand in solidarity with journalists in the cause of free journalism,” said MPA Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 4th, 2012.
COMMENTS (1)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
it is an impressive pieace of writing by a fellow journalist. we have celebrated this festive day but also remembered those who had laid down their lives in the lines of duty. It is high time that the governments recognize the hardships faced by the journalists while performing their duties.Stress should be made on the legislation for press freedom. While our constitution guarentees access to information, why the state functionaries cannot be made bound to facilite us to exercise this right? I am forced to believe that the bureaucracy from top to bottom is a hurdle in the way of free and independent journalism. let us once again put in efforts to uphold the torch of truth beacuse it is the only way ,a society can make progress on the basis of justice, equality and fairplay. regards Raza Kharal former President |Electronic Media Reporters Association