Govt to establish commission on journalist’s safety: Nawaz

The commission will suggest ways and means to effectively monitor prosecution of crimes against journalists.

ISLAMABAD: With Pakistan one of the deadliest countries in the world for journalists, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday said that they government will be establishing a commission of media persons, public figures and government officials who would propose measures for improving security of journalists in the field.

Speaking to the executive member of Council for Protection of Journalists (CPJ) Kati Marton and the council’s four member delegation, Nawaz said that journalists are a vibrant part of the society and acknowledged government’s responsibility to provide them a safe and secure environment.

In order to provide a more secure environment to media persons, Nawaz said the government was establishing a special commission which would propose measures to be adopted by the government to protect journalists in the field and ensure their well-being.

With the courts making history in the recent sentencing of journalist Wali Khan Babar’s killers, Nawaz said the commission will also suggest ways and means to effectively monitor prosecution of crimes against journalists. While Babar’s killers were sentenced, there has been little progress into the murder of 66 other journalists.

The premier reiterated that he wanted to make Pakistan a journalist-friendly country where local and international media persons feel safe working. He assured that the government was trying its best to ensure that the criminals and terrorists accused of killing journalists would be arrested and brought to justice.

Last year, a journalist with New York Times was asked to leave, while visas for two journalists associated with Indian media organisations were not extended.

Marton appreciated Nawaz’s role in pursuing the case of journalist Wali Khan Baber, which resulted in the conviction of his killers and gave a strong message to the international community about the rule of law in Pakistan.