Khursheed Shah asks PM to provide compensation to families of slain journalists

The letter focuses on the issue of compensation for families of those assassinated in target killings in Balochistan

ISLAMBAD: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah has written a letter to the prime minister, urging him to address the issue of compensation for families of those who lost their lives in the line of duty in Balochistan.

Shah on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif asking him to announce a special package for the families of the journalists - many of whom have been assassinated in Balochistan.

Along with the letter, Shah enclosed a list of journalists killed over the past eight years.

Around 40 journalists have lost their lives - 30 of whom lost their lives in target killings since 2008-09, according to Quetta-based senior journalist Saleem Shahid.

Pakistan is among the countries considered the most dangerous for journalists to work in, especially the militancy-hit provinces of Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

“During a visit to Quetta on Saturday October 11, 2014, a delegation of journalists headed by Saleem Shahid had a meeting with me. During the meeting, the matter regarding compensation to Balochistan-based journalists killed in target killings was also discussed,” Shah wrote in the letter addressed to the premier which was made available with the media.

“The deceased family deserves to be helped out because journalists perform their duties in a very risky and dangerous atmosphere and the services rendered by them need to be acknowledged,” the letter further reads.

A copy of the letter can be viewed below:



Shahid told The Express Tribune that except for a couple of cases for which the provincial government provided some assistance, the families of the rest of the assassinated journalists were not even paid the normal compensation paid to common citizens if they become targets of terrorism.

Shahid said the journalists who had lost their lives in the line of duty should be treated as par with officials of security forces, for whom the government provides Rs2 million compensation to families of assassinated security officials.

PPP submits calling attention in NA

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Friday also submitted a call to attention notice in the National Assembly Secretariat over the possible spread of Ebola virus.

The motion was submitted by Dr Nafisa Shah, Shazia Mari, Dr Azra Fazal, Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah and Ayaz Soomro.

“We, the undersigned, would like to invite the attention of the Minister of state for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination to a matter of urgent public importance regarding government negligence & inability to devise a concrete policy and immediate steps to avoid the outspread of lethal & viral disease Ebola in Pakistan,” said the text of the motion.

“As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), Pakistan highly risks being infected with the Ebola virus disease if necessary steps are not taken on an emergency basis,” it further read, adding, “The situation is worrisome and demands an immediate discussion on the floor of the house.”

PPP had previously submitted another motion on the alarming increase in the number of polio cases in the country.

The National Assembly will hold a session on October 20.