The targeting of media professionals during protests has become an unfortunate regular occurrence. PPF once again calls on political parties to recognize the role of the media and instead of targeting them, we urge the PTI to develop guidelines for engagement with the media. The political party leadership must set the tone for engaging with media professionals and ensure that party workers do not target and attack journalists and media outlets. 

Journalists Targeted 

Several attacks on journalists during the protests have been documented. National Press Club Secretary Nayyer Ali told PPF that they had received reports of different incidents including the harassment of women journalists. She shared that alarmingly they had received complaints that journalists were being asked their identity and when they said they were journalists, they were attacked. Additionally, different media outlets’ offices including Aik News, Samaa News and Geo News had been stormed, she shared.

Qurat-ul-Ain Sherazi, a reporter at Independent Urdu, recalled her experience, speaking to PPF: “We were reporting as usual during the protest. Suddenly, some individuals started pushing us. I was with my cameraman, covering the protest, and kept saying that they were hitting the cameraman. Suddenly, they approached me and told me to stop covering the protest. I asked them if we had done something wrong, but someone pushed me from behind. I asked again why they were pushing me and whether I had made a mistake.”

“Initially, there were only two or three people, but within four or five seconds, a small mob of about 20 to 22 people had gathered. They began hitting and pushing me. Then, something sharp struck my leg. At first, I ignored it, and we left the area. I noticed one person holding a wooden stick with a nail on it. It’s possible that’s what injured my leg.  Later, I realized my leg was bleeding, and after several hours, it became swollen.”

A cameraman for the Associated Press (AP) Mohammad Yousaf was injured when protestors attacked him on Srinagar Highway, Dawn reported adding that he was hit on his head with an iron road and his vehicle was damaged. 

Speaking to the media on November 27, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar condemned the attacks on the offices of different media outlets and thanked reporters, cameramen, and technicians who had been on duty for three days.

Attacks on media houses, DSNGs 

Aik News office was attacked by protestors on November 26. Speaking to PPF, Aik News Bureau Chief Ghulam Murtaza said that when PTI protestors reached D-Chowk, where their office is also located, they attacked the office premises. According to Murtaza, the protestors hurled stones at the office, forcefully broke the main gate, and shattered all the office windows. The staff was trapped inside the office for approximately four hours, he shared, adding that several staff members were hit by stones, sustaining minor scratches. A stone struck Murtaza himself, and Director News North Muhammad Adil, also suffered minor injuries when a stone struck him.

“Our office is on the third floor of the building. On the first floor, another media outlet, AGN News, also faced the same violent behavior from the protestors,” he added. 

Describing the incident as a mob attack, Murtaza confirmed that the organization will not take any legal action. 

Tariq Chaudhry, Bureau Chief of Aaj News, reported that protesters engaged in stone pelting during the midnight hours of November 25-26. While some damage was caused to equipment, fortunately, no injuries were reported, and the rest of the team remained safe. This incident occurred as part of the protest coverage.

Muhammad Shehryar, a reporter for Suno News, informed PPF that protesters hurled stones at Suno News’ DSNG vehicle, causing minor damage. Fortunately, the staff members remained safe.

Ayesha Rehman, an assignment editor from Geo News, recounted that she was working in the office when protesters suddenly began throwing stones at the building. “All the staff members were inside, and the lights were off. Our lead continuously urged us to leave the office, but it was our own choice to stay. No one forced us to remain or cover the protest. The organization always prioritizes our safety over covering such events,” Ayesha explained.

Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident. However, similar violence occurred on November 24, when PTI protesters attacked Geo News‘ DSNG van. Reporters fled the scene as the situation turned extremely violent, leaving the destroyed van behind. No injuries were reported on either November 24 or November 26.

Ayesha described the atmosphere as terrifying. “Our office is in the middle of D-Chowk, and the protesters were extremely aggressive. It was difficult for anyone, including our staff, to move in or out. Whenever they saw someone with a Geo News tag, they started shouting, ‘Beat them up!’ Just because we are from Geo, they assumed we were against them and began attacking us,” she said.

Protestors try to enter National Press Club

Separately, protestors also tried to enter the premises of the National Press Club in Islamabad on November 26. 

Speaking to PPF, National Press Club Vice President Syed Zafar Hashmi said that protestors had tried to enter the premises forcibly. He said that the protestors were reportedly searching for police officials as police were firing outside the press club. For a brief period, they entered the club premises before leaving. The press club gate sustained damage, but no further harm was reported, he shared.

National Press Club Secretary Nayyer Ali told PPF that when protestors entered Islamabad, a mob of 60-70 persons tried to enter the premises. She shared that the press club has one gate on the outside where they first tried to enter from but were not permitted. She noted that the press club had also tightened security. The individuals then tried to enter from the parking gate. They tried to break the side gate doors, she shared, adding that staff was harassed and threatened by protestors who warned that they would enter. She added that then she and others arrived and provided security. Nayyer noted that many DSNGs are parked in the press club parking and once the situation calmed down a bit they permitted the media to enter. 

Commenting on the broader situation in the federal capital, Hashmi noted that PTI protestors were angered by what they perceived as inadequate media coverage of their protests, which they attributed to “unannounced censorship.” He mentioned that some incidents such as the attack on the Aik News office and attacks on several media networks DSNG vans had taken place but no significant incidents of violence were reported, as journalists were advised to prioritize safety while covering the protests. Hashmi highlighted that on-ground reporters adhered to these precautions to ensure safe reporting. 

Despite this, the documented incidents reflect insufficient measures to protect media safety by authorities and a lack of concern for the safety of journalists by PTI, whose protestors targeted the media. PPF urges the relevant authorities and political parties to work towards developing a safer environment for journalists covering protests. PPF calls for the much-delayed Commission under the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act, 2021, to be established immediately by the federal government without any further delays.

Photo: View of site during clash between security officials and protesters during protest of Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)  at D-Chowk in Islamabad on Tuesday, November 26, 2024. (Zubair Abbasi/PPI Images).

In its concluding observations on Pakistan’s second periodic report on the implementation of provisions of the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Committee raised numerous concerns about the restrictions to free expression online and offline in Pakistan as well as the “frequent reports” of attacks on and of impunity for crimes against journalists, human rights defenders, and civil society actors.

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) routinely documents, investigates, and issues calls for action in response to incidents of violence, threats, and censorship of the media in Pakistan. In 2024, PPF has documented at least 117 confirmed instances of violence, intimidation, restrictive regulation, and censorship of the media. PPF has repeatedly called for the formation and effective functioning of the Commissions under the media safety laws, both federal and provincial in Sindh. 

The UN Human Rights Committee provided five steps of action for Pakistan to take to ensure compliance with Article 19 of the CCPR.

1. Take immediate steps to ensure everyone can exercise the right to free expression online and offline without interference. The Committee said this included reviewing or repealing specific legislation, end steps that “unduly restriction” free expression, including Internet shutdowns, website, and social media platforms blocks, and establishing an “independent and effective” oversight board to review and monitor decisions regarding internet censorship. The Committee said that they should ensure that any restrictions on free expression meet the conditions of the CCPR.
2. Abstain from adopting measures or laws that could further lead to “undue restrictions” on the right to free expression. The Committee cited some instances, including the countrywide firewall and E-Safety Authority Bill 2023. They called for the State to ensure “broad consultations” with stakeholders.
3. The Committee called on Pakistan to “consider decriminalizing defamation” and also ensure that certain laws, including criminal, sedition, and counter-terrorism laws, are not used to silence journalists and others.
4. Called for the investigation of all allegations of enforced disappearance, torture, killing, and intimidation of journalists and others. The Committee called for perpetrators to be brought o justice, “appropriately sanctioned,” and appropriate reparations be provided to victims.
5. Guarantee that journalists and others, including human rights defenders and civil society actors, can work “safely, freely and independently” without fear of persecution, intimidation, harassment or reprisal.
6. Take “all measures necessary” to support a pluralistic media and ensure that the environment for journalists is a “safe and enabling one.” The Committee called on Pakistan to ensure this by implementing the media safety law and establishing the Commission.

In concluding observations, the Human Rights Committee expressed concern about “arbitrary restrictions” on online and offline free expression. They cited Internet shutdowns, including in May 2023 during protests by the Pakistan Tehreek i Insaf party and during the general elections in February, and the closure of social media platforms.  

The Committee voiced concern about the “chilling effect” of certain laws, including defamation laws, on the free expression of different groups of individuals, including journalists. Amongst the laws cited included the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016, the Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight, and Safeguards) Rules 2021, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Amendment) Act 2023, and the Punjab Defamation Act 2024.

According to the UN Human Rights Committee, they were concerned about reports of “increased coercion and censorship” of media outlets for criticism of the government, military, and intelligence agencies. They said this included the closure and suspension of channels’ licenses by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA).

The Committee noted the adoption of the federal media safety law. Still, it said that it “remains concerned” about “frequent reports” of enforced disappearance, torture, killing, threats, harassment, and intimidation of journalists and others, including human rights defenders and civil society actors that were seen to be critical of the government or promoting issues considered sensitive. The Committee also noted the high level of impunity for these crimes.

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PPF draws immediate attention to the alarming situation for the safety of the media, the dismal progress and implementation of media safety legislation to protect journalists, and the lack of accountability in even the worst attacks on the media i.e. murders. It is unacceptable that over the years, despite changes in government and claims of support for journalists by different political parties, journalists in Pakistan continue to face direct risks for their work. 

The government and other duty bearers, including political party leadership, law enforcement agencies, and the judiciary, must commit to ending the nearly absolute impunity enjoyed by those who target journalists and ensure that instead of regressing, the landscape for media safety in Pakistan can improve. 

Physical violence, including targeted murders, and the threats to journalists, have unfortunately become the norm in Pakistan. While media professionals face dire and direct consequences in the line of duty, the perpetrators of these attacks continue to enjoy high levels of impunity, perpetuating the cycles of violence against the media.

In 2024, PPF has documented at least 117 confirmed instances of violence, intimidation, restrictive regulation, and censorship of the media, including: 

• • Two murders
  • 48 instances of assault
  • Three cases of detention
  • Seven cases of assault and detention
  • Two arrests
  • Five attacks on the property including raids
  • 13 cases of threats and harassment majority of which were online (nine)
  • One instance of remarks targeting media 
  • Five cases registered
  • Three instances of FIA action
  • Two instances of other legal action
  • Two instances of placement on Exit Control List (ECL)
  • 24 instances of censorship including legislation or policies that would affect free expression, restrictive directives or notices to media outlets, internet, and social media closures. 

Although PPF documented 13 killings or murders of journalists and media professionals between January and October 2024, at least two murders were clearly related to the journalist’s work — Khalil Jibran and Bachal Ghunio. 

It is crucial to ensure effective and conclusive investigations into the murder of journalists so that motives can be confirmed, it can be determined whether it was due to a media professional’s work, and the perpetrators can be brought to justice. 

Recommendations

To break the cycles of violence and resulting impunity, commitments must go beyond words of support through action taken at different levels, including:

• Justice must be served to those who perpetrate violent acts against journalists in different forms, most significantly through murders and killings. Justice for these crimes is not only a matter of individual accountability but is essential to preserving the integrity of the media and the functioning of democracy. 

• Investigations into attacks on the media must reach their logical end. The high rates of impunity in the murder of journalists are entirely unacceptable. The government and relevant authorities, including law enforcement and judiciary, must ensure that all cases of journalists’ murders are properly investigated and, where necessary, cases or investigations are reopened. Those killing incidents that are in court must have regular hearings and lead to convictions rather than the current norm of inconclusive court cases for, in some cases, decades. 

• The much-delayed Commission for the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act, 2021, must be established immediately by the federal government without any further delays.

• Forming the independent commission mandated by the law is critical to investigating and prosecuting attacks on journalists. Once established, the federal media safety commission must function as an active body that investigates all incidents of attacks on journalists. 

• The chairperson for the Sindh Commission for the Protection of Journalists and Other Media Practitioners under the Sindh Protection of Journalists and Other Media Practitioners Act, 2021, must immediately be appointed following the resignation of former chairperson retired Justice Nazar Akbar and the lack of clarity on appointments in the Commission must be addressed.

• The Sindh Commission for the Protection of Journalists and Other Media Practitioners must be an actively and effectively functioning body so that incidents of violence at the provincial level can be reported, investigated, and addressed. 

• Under both laws, the federal and Sindh governments are falling short of achieving their objectives to address impunity. The federal media safety law states that the government will implement best practices provided for in the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity. The Sindh law states that the government will develop and implement effective strategies to combat impunity, including coordinating with stakeholders to implement best practices in the UN Plan of Action. The laws are binding, and the governments must fulfill their responsibilities.

• The lack of media safety legislation at the provincial level in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan provinces in the midst of violent attacks documented against journalists in each of the provinces is reflective of a complete lack of commitment to ensuring the safety of the media. The provincial governments must introduce and pass media safety laws in their respective provinces to ensure that journalists in each province are protected under the law. 

• Political parties must enforce a code of conduct for engaging with media professionals during rallies, protests, and other physical party-related events and online to prevent violence against journalists. Leadership must reiterate such policies and ensure that supporters do not initiate violence against the media. Inflammatory remarks by political leaders must also be condemned at a party level.

• PPF has observed that during any period of protests or heightened political activity, journalists are caught in the crossfire and subject to attacks from protestors and police alike. Designated safe areas for journalists should be established during political protests and rallies to ensure their safety while reporting on these events. This is particularly achievable during pre scheduled protests and rallies.

• Journalists and media professionals in the field must be respected. In 2024, in numerous instances where journalists had identified themselves as a member of the press, including via visible press cards, they still were subject to violence and arrests. This is not acceptable.

• Following the Kenyan High Court’s ruling that declared the killing of Arshad Sharif as “unlawful,” there is a need for meaningful and conclusive court proceedings. Authorities must conduct a thorough and conclusive investigation into the killing of Sharif, including an investigation into the broader circumstances that led to his murder and reasons for his departure from Pakistan. When even the most high profile murder cases remain unresolved, there is little hope for other cases to be resolved. 

• State imposed restrictions or forms of censorship including the closure of X, formerly Twitter, as well as disruptions in internet access, set a worrying precedent for the measures that can be implemented to restrict the space for free expression. The lack of transparency, clarity and engagement with stakeholders are alarming.

• Shrinking spaces both online and offline are worrisome and the government must ensure that such measures are not being implemented to stifle debate, discussion and discourse. 

• The government must take seriously and act on the concerns regarding freedom of expression and media safety raised by United Nations Human Rights Committee members during Pakistan’s state review under the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). 

• Law enforcement agencies, including the police, must understand and protect the media’s role as a watchdog in society. This can be achieved in several ways, such as:

              – Law enforcement officials such as police must be trained at a district level across Pakistan so that they are better informed, equipped, and able to investigate and follow up on attacks on the media. 

              – District-level law enforcement must take ownership of the targeted attacks on media professionals in their area and work to address the persisting culture of impunity.

            – Registration of criminal complaints (First Information Reports) against those who attack journalists, formation of investigative teams, and conclusive investigations should be facilitated.

On June 18, journalist Khalil Jibran was brutally murdered in the Khyber district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Jibran, who was killed after receiving 19 bullets, had previously received threats. Khyber News Chief Editor Mubarak Ali told PPF that Jibran had frequently reported on terrorist activities in his area and had been receiving continuous threats from banned groups. Despite this, no group has claimed responsibility for the murder, and no arrests have been made. 

Jibran Khalil, son of the late journalist, also confirmed that his father had received threats prior to his death. He shared that no arrests had been made in connection to his father’s murder, adding that the family is now facing additional threats. 

Khyber Union of Journalists President Nasir Hussain told PPF he believed Khalil was murdered due to his critical reporting. So far, no one has been apprehended in relation to the crime, he shared.

In another unfortunate incident, Awaaz TV reporter Muhammad Bachal Ghunio was murdered on August 27 in the Ghotki district of Sindh province.

After Ghunio’s murder, Station House Officer and Investigation Officer Abdul Shakoor Lakho from Wasti Jeevan Shah Police Station had told PPF that he believed Ghunio was killed due to his journalism as he was living in the katcha area and kept reporting about dacoits and their facilitators. 

Awaaz TV Director of News Naz Sahito also told PPF that certain influential individuals in the district had been displeased with Ghunio’s reporting for some time. Ghunio had been receiving multiple threats, and Sahito strongly believed that his murder was directly linked to his journalistic work. 

Sahito added that the organization provides legal assistance to Ghunio’s family and has notified the Sindh Commission for the Protection of Journalists and Media Practitioners (CPJMP) who had responded by taking action and writing letters to the relevant authorities. Days after Ghunio’s murder, the main suspect had been arrested by police, Dawn reported. According to Sahito, while police have arrested several suspects, the actual perpetrators remain at large.

Ghunio’s brother Sachal Ghunio shared that one suspect, Shaukat Ghunio, had been arrested by police and was currently in custody. The case is being heard in the District and Sessions Judge Anti-Terrorism Court in Ghotki at Mirpur Mathelo.

Just a few months prior, Awami Awaz reporter Nasrullah Gadani was critically wounded in an armed attack on May 21 in Mirpur Mathelo in the Ghotki district and succumbed to injuries just days later on May 24. 

The lack of progress in cases of other journalists killed in the line of duty in Pakistan paint a dismal picture. Pakistan has been on the Committee to Protect Journalists Global Impunity Index of countries with the highest rates of impunity, since it was launched. 

The murder of journalists and media professionals for their work is the ultimate silencing tool and the worst instance of attack possible. These murders are not isolated incidents; they are part of a broader, disturbing pattern of violence targeting journalists in Pakistan. Physical violence, threats of violence, and other forms of intimidation of the media are commonplace in Pakistan. 

As with murders, the repeat occurrence of these forms of violence, intimidation, and censorship over the years is reflective of the dismal situation for media safety and the level of impunity for those who are behind such attacks, which enables the same trends to continue year after year. The situation reflects an absence of effective preventative, protective, and prosecutorial mechanisms as outlined in the UN Action Plan for the Safety of Journalists. Each attack on a journalist, whether an act of manhandling, a threatening message on social media, or a regulatory directive banning coverage, contributes to an overall culture of fear and censorship. 

A common trend observed during the past year, similar to 2023, was waves of violence against media professionals during periods of heightened political activity, including protests. 

In Karachi, ten police officers were suspended for violence against women protestors and journalists during a day of protests on October 13. Journalists were assaulted, their equipment was damaged and they were detained by police. Zulfiqar Wahucho, the General Secretary of the Karachi Press Club Cultural Committee, News One reporter Shoukat Korai, and KTN News journalists Allah Rakhyo, Altaf Channa, and Pavan Kumar were among the affected media persons.

Separately, during protests held by the opposition Pakistan Tehreek i Insaf (PTI) party in late September and early October, several journalists were assaulted and detained by police as well as attacked by protestors. The recurring mistreatment of media professionals during politically charged events highlights an alarming trend where both law enforcement and political party members have disregarded press freedom and the role that media plays in covering key developments. 

Blatant violations of the media safety law were also documented with the seizure of electronic devices of journalists. In one case, Geo News reporter Haider Shirazi was tortured by police officers while filming police actions against a protester on September 28 in Islamabad. Despite identifying himself as a journalist, Shirazi’s phone was confiscated in contravention of the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act, 2021,  and he was taken to an undisclosed location.

The law states that every journalist and media professional has the right to privacy which includes protection against interference with his/her home, correspondence and family. It requires the government to ensure that no person, officer, agency or institution unlawfully or arbitrarily interferes with the right to privacy of any journalist, reporter, or media professional and his/her home, correspondence (including electronic correspondence) and family.

General elections were held in February largely without incidents of violence against the media; however, sporadic incidents were documented in the lead-up to the elections during political party rallies, and journalists faced vile campaigns, rhetoric, and harassment online, particularly women journalists and media professionals. 

The ability of journalists to report on election day was severely hampered by the closure of mobile connectivity and data services countrywide. The suspension was attributed to security concerns but stayed in place for hours after the end of polling at 5 pm. A “lack of communication” was also blamed for the delay in announcing results. Additionally, social media platform X was blocked on February 17, and over eight months later, X remains inaccessible in Pakistan without a VPN. Multiple disruptions to internet access have been documented this year amid reports of the government installing a national firewall.

Meanwhile, the broadcast regulator, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA),  has consistently overstepped its mandate as a regulator and blocked entire areas of coverage, leaving the broadcast media unable to cover critical developments. Most recently, PEMRA issued show-cause notices to television channels for their coverage of the terrorist attack on October 6 near Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport. The media must be able to report on critical developments in the country, including incidents of violence and terror, without facing punitive measures for doing so.

There has also been an attempt to curtail physical spaces for free expression. In one such instance, district administration issued a directive to the Quetta Press Club restricting them from allowing any political party or organization to hold a press conference or seminar without prior approval or permission of district administration. This prohibition undermines the press club’s independence and autonomy. The press club must be able to operate without interference, which it has a right to do so.

In an alarming development, at the start of 2024, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) issued notices to several dozen media professionals for allegedly participating in a campaign against the judiciary. In connection with this, journalist and YouTuber Asad Ali Toor was arrested by the FIA on February 26, when he appeared before the FIA Cyber Crime Wing in Islamabad in response to the latest of a series of notices issued to him. Despite the media safety law protecting the right to privacy, before he was eventually released on March 16, on bail, the relevant courts were informed that the journalists’ devices had been confiscated, with his lawyer adding that Toor’s mobile had been taken.

During Pakistan’s state review of the implementation of provisions of the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in October, it was noted that the threats to journalists, killings, and disappearance of journalists were widespread, and this was “fuelling a climate of self-censorship.” Additionally, they said that there was “near total impunity.” As per a press release issued by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Human Rights Committee questioned what prosecutions were issued to address impunity and to guarantee remedial measures for victims and their families. They questioned how the State ensured that laws were not used unfairly to target journalists and what the appeals process was for journalists. They asked what steps had been taken to establish the commission to protect journalists’ rights. 

We urge the government to share the details and progress of the committees established to investigate violence against journalists and immediately establish the Commission required under the media safety law. The concerns raised by the UN Human Rights Committee should act as an impetus for meaningful action to reduce the violence against the media and the endemic impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators of this violence.

The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists serves as a disheartening reminder of the lack of safety for journalists and the continued violence and fear that the media in Pakistan has to work within. The relevant authorities must take immediate steps to reverse course rather than allowing the culture of impunity for attacks on journalists to persist, enabling the violence against journalists to continue without repercussions.

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The NFIC meeting was convened by the Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) and was held in Islamabad. Serving information commissioners from the Federal, KP, Punjab, and Sindh also participated in the meeting and reiterated their commitment to promoting transparency and accountability in Pakistan, with a focus on ensuring public access to information.

During the event, Mr. Mukhtar Ahmad Ali, Executive Director of CPDI, provided an overview of the historical and legislative landscape of the right to information and freedom of information in Pakistan.

He highlighted that concrete efforts to promote RTI began in 2013, when dominant political parties in KP and Punjab competing in the political arena added to the RTI implementation in their provinces. He emphasized that the emergence of RTI in Pakistan is the biggest reform in contemporary times, representing a transformation from secrecy to transparency.

He demanded that the federal and provincial governments ensure administrative and budgetary support of Information Commissions so that appellate bodies can perform their duties optimally.

Source: The Reporters

During his visit to the Landi Kotal press club on Thursday, the DPO expressed his appreciation for the affirmative performance of the police officials and their matchless sacrifices in maintaining peace in the area. He also disclosed that necessary and useful training sessions had been planned to technically equip the local police.

Source: The Nation

The jirga comprised of local MNA, political leaders figures and officials of the district administration held several meetings with both the parties to resolve the issue.

The local journalists alleged that medical superintendent Dr Liqat Khan along with other staffers thrashed a local reporter, Zahid Jan, when he was busy in coverage of a protest demonstration at the hospital.

The protest was held on November 26 against delay in postmortem of two PPP workers, who were shot dead by unidentified persons in Salarzai tehsil on the same day.

The management of the hospital and journalists had announced to register cases against each other. However, the jirga persuaded them to resolve the issue amicably.

A ceremony in this regard was held at the house of Khar neighbourhood council chairman and leader of JUI-F Anwar Hussain. Besides JI local leader Qari Abdul Majeed, PPP’s Aurangzeb and officials, the ceremony was attended by jirga members, led by MNA Gul Zafar Khan, Khar tehsil council chairman and JUI-F deputy district chief Haji Said Badshah and assistant commissioner Hamza Zahoor.

The jirga members expressed their pleasure over amicable resolution of the issue. They said that a conflict between the management of district headquarters hospital and local journalists was a matter of serious concerns for them as it could affect the residents of the entire district.

Source: Dawn

Addressing a seminar on ‘Role and Responsibility of Media in Measles Rubella (MR) Catch up Campaign 2021’ at a local hotel on Saturday, she said vaccination was the most cost-effective preventive intervention in public health.

Prevention, she added, was always better than cure.

The event was organised by the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) with Unicef support.

Present in the seminar were EPI Director Dr Mukhtar Ahmed Awan, Director CDC Dr Shahid Magsi, Unicef Health Specialist Dr Tahir Manzoor, Unicef consultant Dr Saeed Akhtar, WHO Technical Officer Dr Nauman Khan, Technical Focal Person BMGF Dr Naeem Majeed, health reporters and officials of the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department.

Dr Yasmin Rashid said that Pakistan was going to organise the history’s largest vaccination campaign for children from Nov 15 to 27, adding that more than 46.6 million children of 9 months to 15 years of age would be vaccinated with daily target of over 3.7 million children per day.

She said that press was known as the fourth pillar of the state and it played a pivotal role in raising awareness on health issues.

“I appreciate the EPI programme for engaging the media and I am thankful to Unicef for supporting the government during this campaign.

“Only in Punjab, unvaccinated people constitute more than 85 percent of new COVID-19 hospital admissions. Elaborating the importance of vaccination, she said that significant decline was seen in positivity ratio in areas having high vaccination coverage. “Measles and rubella can be fatal and during my career as a doctor, I have witnessed rubella causing lifelong complications among mothers and children.

“The MR vaccine was available in the private sector, yet it was expensive and only affluent people could afford it, she added.

“Now we will be providing this vaccine to people free of cost.

“The minister said that in Punjab more than 52 per cent people have received at least a single dose vaccine, adding that the ‘Reach Every Door’ was also under way across the province.

The government was fully focused on prevention and taking fundamental steps to safeguard children lives through immunization. “Our children are the future of Pakistan,” she added.

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, revolutionary steps were being taken to improve the healthcare system in Punjab, she said.

In his speech, Director EPI Dr Mukhtar Ahmed explained the measles and rubella related complications and the shared background data for the introduction of vaccine. Unicef Health Specialist Dr Tahir Manzoor said that vaccines are introduced after long series of trials and approvals. In rare cases, some people might show mild symptoms. He said experts’ opinion must be sought before reporting such cases.

WHO technical officer Dr Nauman Khan said that the WHO had provided trainings to staff at provincial, district and UC level for any Adverse Events Following Immunisation (AEFI).

Source: The News

Talking to a delegation of Karachi Editors Club (KEC) in a meeting held at Sindh Governor House, he said media could actually change global scenario.

In particular context of Pakistan, he agreed that proper training in the field of journalism was a crucial requirement but emphasized that concepts of morality and accountability must also be inculcated among the professionals as well as students of journalism.

It is of the high value in a situation where print media (newspaper industry) was fast losing its space while importance of NEWS and information was ever growing with electronic and social media meeting the public requirement.

President Alvi iterated need for social media regulations in the country with due consideration towards media ethics, adding that collective responsibility lies upon all concerned stakeholders to bring about the much cherished social change.

He urged KEC members to make use of their experience and help improve skills of students and young journalists on professional lines with equal consideration towards moral values.

The President also suggested that Karachi Council of Editors, said to be also playing a think tank role, might contribute towards addressing the issue of women empowerment and other social challenges country was being faced with.

The KCE delegation led by its President Mubashir Mir included Manzar Naqvi, Habib Khan Ghauri, Mukhtar A Butt, Mujahid Barelvi, Agha Masood Hussain, Fizza Shakil, Hameeda Bhutto, Alveena Agha, Khursheed Hyder, Mubashir Zaidi, Naeemuddin, Abrar Bakhtiar, Javed Shamsi, Muhammad Arifeen and other senior professionals associated with the media industry. Mubashir Mir suggested reactivation of Pakistan Press Council with the hope that it might address a number of issues related to false reporting, ethics, morality and professionalism in the field.

The delegation sought government support to help KCE stream line the online media. Workshops it had introduced during first phase of COVID 19.

Opportunities for senior journalists as visiting faculty at different public sector was also recommended.

The delegation also suggested nomination of senior journalist Agha Masood Hussain for national award by the federal government.

Website: APP

A daylong session titled “Role of Media in Polio Eradication Initiative” was organised by the district emergency operation center at Prince Fahd Hospital in Dalbandin on Thursday.

The District Health Communication Support Officer of the Chip Training and Consulting (CTC) Taaj Muhammad and Dr Sanjrani apprised the local journalists about different aspects, challenges and benefits of polio campaigns in Chagai.

They said disinformation and negative propaganda was the major challenge in combating the crippling disease which needed to be countered by all responsible citizens, particularly by the journalists, adding that Afghanistan and Pakistan were the only countries that could not completely eradicate the polio virus.

“Polio cases in Pakistan were massively increased in 2019 just because of baseless allegations spread through a video clip which went viral on social media causing uncertainty among the masses and resultantly a large number of people from different areas refused to vaccinate their children in that year,” the WHO officer said.

Both the officials urged the journalists to spread positive news reports and awareness among the masses using their different tools on digital, print and social media.

“War against this crippling disease cannot be won without the support of media because journalists can effectively educate the masses,” they concluded.

Newspaper: Express Tribune

2020 presents a grim picture for press freedom in Pakistan with multiple attempts to silence the voices of the media in the print, broadcast and online spheres.

The media in Pakistan continues to work under an environment of fear and significant constraints to press freedom. The year 2020, so far, has seen numerous attempts to silence journalists and media personnel. The use of criminal complaints, abductions and online harassment have created an environment where the media is operating under high pressure with little to no security, protection or accountability for the perpetrators of these attacks.

According to the report by Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) to commemorate the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalist 2020 there have been a number of brazen attempts to intimidate and in turn silence journalists by picking them up and orchestrating their disappearances. The year saw two high profile abductions of journalists — Matiullah Jan from the capital, Islamabad and Ali Imran Syed in Karachi. Both cases were strongly condemned and the federal and provincial governments had ‘taken notice’ of the incidents. In both instances, the journalists were found safe hours after they went missing.

In Jan’s case, CCTV footage of the moments before he was abducted were circulated on social media. The Supreme Court of Pakistan took up the case of the senior journalist’s abduction and has recently rejected the report by the Islamabad Inspector General of Police.

In at least one instance during 2020, a journalist was murdered in what appeared to be an act in connection to his work. On February 16, the body of KTN news channel and Sindh-language daily Kawish, Aziz Memon, was found in a water channel in the  Naushahro Firoze district of the Sindh province.

These acts of picking up journalists show a worrying trend that appears to have been used to restrict press freedom in the country. In both cases, officials are yet to determine who was behind the acts. Such attempts of intimidation create an environment of fear for both the media and their loved ones. The lack of accountability or conclusive rulings to determine who was behind these abductions or disappearances, allows the perpetrators to get away scot free.

Journalists have also faced other forms of physical attacks such as being beaten, verbally threatened and arrested.

After being arrested in March,  almost eight months later, the Jang and Geo Media Group Editor in Chief Mir Shakilur Rehman is still imprisoned on the basis of an old property case. In at least five other instances, journalists have been arrested during 2020.

When they are not physically attacked, journalists are often threatened, a tool that can lead to self censorship by creating an environment of fear.

In August, investigative journalist Ahmad Noorani received life threats following the publication of his investigative piece regarding the business fortunes of former director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Retired Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa.

Another common trend observed during this year was the registration of First Information Reports (criminal complaints) against media personnel. These criminal complaints use similar sections of laws such as the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 and the Pakistan Penal Code. The cases registered against journalists show a growing policing of their content shared on social media platforms and accuse them of anti-state content. This raises questions about the misuse or rather overuse of laws that regulate content. It also represents a growing intolerance against free expression online. Within the span of a week, three cases registered against media workers — The Express Tribune Editor Bilal Farooqi, former Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) Chairman Absar Alam and journalist Asad Ali Toor — were reported.

In 2020, journalists have faced threats not just physically but also online. Women journalists in particular have been subject to abuse and threats online. This shows that social media platforms, considered to be an open space for communication, have increasingly become areas for threats and abuse to be launched against media professionals. It also highlights the particular circumstances that women journalists in Pakistan have to work within.

During the year, the media regulatory authorities  — PEMRA and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) — have appeared to be overactive with multiple directives to restrict, control and limit the sharing of certain content.

While these bodies are essential to ensure media content follows certain guidelines, during this year, they have restricted content that is vital for the public to form opinions, remain aware of key developments in the country and to be able to freely access information. Advice and directives issued by PEMRA have played the role of controlling the information that the public has access to rather than just creating guidelines for the media to follow.

There has also been a rise in the policing of content on social media platforms. Perhaps the most drastic of steps was the short term ban on popular social media app, Tik Tok, due to complaints of “immoral/indecent content” and the platform’s failure to comply with instructions to develop a mechanism for moderation.

In 2020, the spread of the COVID-19 has also created a new set of challenges for the media to work with including remote working, ensuring protocols are in place in newsrooms and most importantly ensuring the safety and health of media workers from the virus. Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) focused on the impact of the pandemic on the media in Pakistan in its annual report published on World Press Freedom Day. This report focuses on press freedom and covers the specific restrictions to press freedom that journalists have faced in light of their coverage of the coronavirus.

At the same time, the rhetoric of the ruling party and Prime Minister Imran Khan has been dismissive towards the threats to free expression faced in the country. In an interview in September, the premier said that it was the government and ministers that felt “unprotected” not the media. He said that in Pakistan’s history, no government had received the criticism that they are.

While the media faces attacks from all fronts — whether in the physical or online sphere– and operates within a shrinking space for free expression, perpetrators of these attacks continue to enjoy impunity for their crimes. Both provincial and federal governments officials issue statements and take notice of incidents but there are very few instances of conclusive results of investigations of such incidents. Those who employ tactics to silence the voices of the media and to create an environment where journalists resort to self censorship are further emboldened by the lack of action against those who attack the media.

Dr Qaisar Abbas, highlighting the book objectives, said the current research on the media in Pakistan is mostly limited to print media and historical issues with outdated methodologies. “This book focuses on modern-age media issues discussed by journalists, scholars, and emerging writers,” he remarked.

The book is structured around the five themes.

Abbas thanked the diverse team of writers who contributed scholarly chapters in the book. Fawzia Afzal Khan, Afiya Shehrbano Zia, Ayesha Khan, Haya Fatima Iqbal, and Farah Zia contributed chapters on women’s issues and feminism. Qaisar Abbas highlighted the media framing of the Kashmir conflict in TV talk shows in India and Pakistan.

Newspaper: The News

Newspaper: Nation

On May 22, a PIA jetliner with 99 passengers aboard crashed in a populated neighbourhood in Karachi. The locality, only few miles away from the runway, sent residents into arrest. A thick cloud of smoke billowed from the area as the aircraft caught fire. Video clips quickly started making rounds on social media and traditional Pakistani media was overwhelmed with breaking news updates spiking traffic on news channels and websites nationwide. But there was one thing that remained largely unaccounted for, the casualties in the crash and the fact that there were survivors.

However, it was too late. By this time, news outlets had embarked on a vicious rat race, trading information in exchange for eyeballs. Most of them had released the flight manifest – an otherwise confidential document – thereby giving an impression that all passengers aboard had been presumed dead. The media had turned into what can be described as a bazaar; milking ratings and overlooking in the process that this disaster left many homes in shambles and many families without factual information about their loved ones.

As a journalist, impatient for information, and a Karachiite sitting miles from home, I rummaged through the live feeds of most news outlets. I saw newscasters assuming all on board to have been dead, a full passenger list, photos of the ‘presumably’ deceased and an enthusiastic undertone in the delivery of the news, all of which lacked sensitivity at best. The media melodrama overshadowed a tragedy yet again.

At this point, the local media had turned into a monster with very little regard for what would ensue when families of the victims would see photos of their loved ones’ flash across screens. And as a result, loss of credibility for the media when some of those declared deceased have returned as though resurrected from the dead.

Add to the plethora of existing news channels, the emergence of social media, which was even more brutal. Renowned senior journalists and critics, some of whom I look up to, took a jibe at the airline and questioned the pilot’s technical skills without conclusive evidence. Another clip to go viral was one which was presented as footage from the plane in the last few seconds before the crash. No authenticity of this clip was by far established. More disinformation circulated when leading news channels used a picture of a PIA airliner which turned out to be bogus as it was reportedly a screengrab from a video that surfaced last year.

On open source information, such as an audio file comprising a conversation between the pilot and the control tower, could probably be held off for publishing until later. What further appeared as blatant disregard was a reporter proudly stating that he was reporting from a live scene of carnage or at one point from an airhostess’s home where he pressed the family for comment. By this time, social media was replete with speculations on who could possibly be survivors. The flight manifests had been taken off air as hospital authorities confirmed that they were still identifying bodies. But it was too late to make amends. The coverage had reached the ins and outs of the internet, vehemently coming off as an industry where workers had little training to tackle disaster situations.

In response to the media frenzy, journalists across social media platforms mobilised resistance, calling out news agencies over their irresponsible coverage of the incident. During the course of my rather brief journalistic career, I can recall several instances where the media treated a tragedy as an opportunity for gains. But the question is, how long before we collectively realise that garnering attention by shoddy means isn’t just fleeting but also disreputable?

Newspaper: Tribune

The journalists and social workers of North Waziristan remain very active in highlighting injustices and problems on mainstream and social media, but it is not the case in the video scandal case. Although, local journalists reported the incident to their respective media outlets, but their social media accounts are silent over the issue. Same is the matter with the social activists who are tight-lipped over the incident.

A local journalist told TNN on condition of anonymity that there is a consensus among local journalists not to do anything which can potentially damage the peaceful atmosphere. He said there are two main tribes in North Waziristan – Mehsuds and Wazirs. He said if an issue related to honour occurs on any side, the journalists from other tribe refrain from speaking on the issue because it can potentially give rise to feud between the two tribes.

Journalists report the incident to their respective media institutions as a compulsion, but they request publication of news without byline and keep the issue low-profile. The issue of ‘honour’ is very sensitive which can give rise to tribal feud. In this regard, the local journalists gave an example of Kohistan video scandal in which nine people have lost their lives so far.

The local journalist rejected the impression that he area media persons and social activists are not speaking over the issue because they also believe in ‘honour’. He insisted that the issue came into the notice of the world after the local journalists reported it.

Rasool Dawar, another journalist from North Waziristan working in Peshawar, also stated that local journalists resist themselves from highlighting the issue because of fear of tribal tensions and fights. He said such incidents happen due to local traditions and failure of government machinery. He said the government institutions are not so strong in this area so people cannot come in open to raise voice against such incidents. He said education ratio in the area is very low and rivalries created on honour issues are very dangerous.

The video made in Garyum area of North Waziristan is circulating on social media for the last few months in which a boy is doing inappropriate acts with three girls. Police said a friend of the boy shared the video on social media which went viral within no time. Two girls in the video, who were cousins, have been shot dead allegedly by their cousin. Police said the incident has happened on Friday and the murderer has escaped. Four people, including brother of one girl and father of other deceased girl, have also been arrested.

The boy who made the video, Umar Ayaz has also been arrested, while third girl in the video is missing, but she is alive and police said saving her lives is priority. Police said details of the incident will be made public within two days.

Website: MenaFN

The meeting discussed cooperation among Muslim countries on promotion in the fields of culture, heritage and fine arts. He said Islam teaches us to help the suffering and troubled humanity in difficult times.The Prime Minister said Pakistanis wherever they live, stand by their countrymen in difficult times and this spirit of serving humanity is the real strength and virtue of our society. They exchanged views on promoting mutual cooperation among Muslim countries in the sectors of civilization, culture and arts.

Newspaper: The Nation

AP photographers Dar Yasin, Mukhtar Khan and Channi Anand snaked around roadblocks, sometimes took cover in strangers’ homes and hid cameras in vegetable bags to capture images of protests, police and paramilitary action and daily life under occupation.

Then they headed to an airport to persuade travelers to carry the photo files out with them and get them to the AP’s office in New Delhi, as a tight curfew and communications blockade posed a difficulty in showing the world the atrocities perpetrated in the occupied region, according to media reports.

The Pulitzers are generally regarded as the highest honour that US journalists and organisations can receive. In a statement on its website, Pulitzer said the Kashmiri photographers were selected for their “striking images of life” in Indian occupied Kashmir.

Yasin and Khan are based in Srinagar, while Anand is based in the Jammu district. Anand said the award left him speechless, according to AP news agency. “I was shocked and could not believe it,” he was quoted as saying.

“It was always cat-and-mouse. These things made us more determined than ever to never be silenced,” said Yasin – an engineering graduate from a family of celebrated photojournalists. Yasin had previously won the inaugural Yannis Behrakis International Photojournalism Award last year.

Among other awards, Alaska-based The Anchorage Daily News, and ProPublica won the Pulitzer for public service journalism for revealing one-third of Alaska’s villages had no police protection, while the photography staff of Reuters won the breaking news photography award for Hong Kong protests.

The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky, took home the breaking news honor for its coverage of hundreds of last-minute pardons issued by former Governor Matt Bevin. The prize for investigative reporting went to the New York Times’ Brian Rosenthal, who uncovered how thousands of New York City’s taxi drivers had their lives ruined by predatory lending.

The Pulitzer Prizes, the most prestigious awards in American journalism, have been handed out since 1917, when newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer established them in his will. Monday’s announcement had been postponed for two weeks because some journalists on the 18-member Pulitzer board were busy covering the coronavirus pandemic.

In normal years, the prizes are announced at Columbia University in New York. On Monday, Dana Canedy, who administers the Pulitzers, delivered the news from her living room via video, after weeks in which board members hashed out the finalists and winners remotely.

 “Ironically, the very first time the Prizes were presented was June 1917 — less than a year before the 1918 outbreak of the Spanish Flu pandemic,” Canedy said. “During this season of unprecedented uncertainty, one thing we know for sure is that journalism never stops.”

Newspaper: Tribune

PCJCCI Secretary General Salahuddin Hanif gave away anti-corona masks to members of Lahore Press Club.

Speaking on the occasion, he said that the way China managed to control this dreadful virus was a model for the entire world community, adding that China was a time-tested friend of Pakistan that was why it was taking effective and practical measures to help Pakistanis get rid of this pandemic by sending PPEs (Personal Protective Equipment for doctors and paramedical staff), masks and other medical aid to Pakistan.

Salahuddin Hanif said that this scenario had led to tendency of halal foods in China thus creating a big opportunity for Pakistani business community to carve out its share to the maximum.

While, Lahore Press Club President Arshad Ansari thanked Pak-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry for providing protective masks to the journalists community of Lahore, citing, this practical step by China for Pakistanis and journalists was commendable. All segment of Pakistani society proud of their friendship with China, he asserted.

He also thanked the council member Javed Hashmi for arranging masks by PCJCCI for journalists.

On this occasion, member governing body Imran Sheikh, PUJ President Qamar Zaman Bhatti, General Secretary Khawaja Aftab Hassan, Treasurer Badar Zahoor Chishti, Lahore Photo Journalists Association General Secretary Pervez Altaf and others were also present.

Newspaper: Urdu Point

Meanwhile, politicians and activists have spoken up against the arrest of the man who owns the largest media group in the country. Almost all mainstream opposition political parties and leaders have condemned the action. So have international media watchdog bodies. Essentially, it is obvious the detention of Mir Shakil and the rather far-fetched cases filed against him are yet another attempt at harassment by NAB. In this case, as journalists have already said, the attempt is quite obviously to silence the media. Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman is in jail not because of corruption or other crime, but because he flatly refused to ask anchors on television shows or print media journalists from holding back on their stories or the questions they have put concerning governmental performance or the performance of specific agencies.

It is necessary for the government to understand that the primary job of the media in any situation and in any country is to highlight the weaknesses and flaws within governance and authorities which have an impact on running the country. If it fails to do so, it is essentially failing in its duty. As editor-in-chief of this group, Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman has a record of repeatedly refusing to succumb to pressure. The government must understand that at this point in time a free media is entirely essential. It is required to provide accurate news to people on all matters, including the current virus situation and also keep them informed on preventive measures or the ongoing situation. The Jang Group has in fact already begun such a campaign. It needs to be widened. Most importantly, the right to free expression safeguarded by our constitution must be protected at all costs. It is essential all those in power understand this, instead of continuing to boast about a ‘free media’ that does not exist.

Newspaper: The News

The authority’s advice titled: Advice regarding precautionary measures to control spread of coronavirus Covid-19, says, “it has been observed that some TV channels are conducting morning shows as well as satirical/comedy shows inviting live audience/general public and reward shows and sting programmes, engaging public”.

“As it is an established fact that the virus is contagious and spreads from one person to another. Therefore, a reasonable distance i.e. one metre approximately should be maintained in order to securing oneself as well as others. Since the virus is spreading mainly through respiratory droplets (coughing and sneezing), therefore, people in large gatherings are more vulnerable,” it emphasises.

Pemra said that all media houses are advised to promote culture of social distancing and conduct such programmes without allowing/inviting any gathering/ live audience in view of precautionary measures advised by the health experts and guidelines issued by the government. Besides, public may also be educated on social distancing through short messages.

The media houses, it continued, are also advised to telecast programmes of public interest such as movies, popular dramas, award shows etc in order to motivating public to stay at homes and watch their favourite shows on TV instead of socialising and exposing themselves to this pandemic.

This pandemic is a global crisis and no government can alone defeat it, therefore, it is the responsibility of every one of us to play our part for safety and protection of our countrymen by adopting precautionary measures and encouraging the whole nation to adopt such measures at their homes, workplaces and avoid public exposure unless inevitable.22

“Moreover, it is requested that responsible reporting must be ensured and hope among people is inculcated without creating panic through frightful reports and give confidence to the public that all state institutions are working on war-footing to safety and security of the nation in this hour of crisis,” it says

Newspaper: The News

This is one time, said Dr Murad Moosa Khan, when the media can play a really useful role. He has a few suggestions:

They should stop sensationalising, stop putting out four news bars on their channels. One slow moving should be sufficient.

No flashing of news blurb every few seconds as they tend to do. It causes anxiety in people.

Reporters and news readers should report calmly. Most speak in a really heightened state, raising the anxiety of the viewers.

Negative news about number of cases and deaths should be balanced by positive reports of what steps are being taken.

Educate the public by simple, practical messages. Keep in mind the viewers include those who are abjectly poor, may not have access to soap or clean water, who may change their clothes or have a bath once a week or once a month only and may also include those living on the streets.

Give practical tips to what people can do at home like taking up a hobby, reading, listening to music, playing board games with family, watching TV in limited amounts, using mobile phones in a limited manner, doing physical exercise — using rooftops, corridors, or even in the room. Messages should say these are essential but temporary measures.

Both the government and the media should remain honest and transparent. Where they don’t know they should say so, but also that as soon as they receive information they will share it. And they should.

Newspaper: Dawn

“The constitutional courts of Pakistan will not let violate the freedom of expression like rights of people,” Justice Athar Minallah said, adding that “whatever is happening in India, we won’t let it happen in Pakistan.”

The IHC chief justice passed these remarks while hearing a contempt case regarding controversial comments passed by different television channels after former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was bailed last year.

The court allowed the Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE) to file its reply in two weeks in the contempt case. Geo Television Network’s Hamid Mir and other TV anchors, a representative of Pemra and IHC Journalists Association two presidents Amir Abbasi and Jahangir Aslam Baloch attended the proceedings.

Hamid Mir said though it was a contempt of court case, but wanted to inform that this court had earlier announced a detail judgment regarding the National Accountability Bureau’s domain to arrest the criminals.

He said the NAB officials violated the law and had arrested Jang/Geo group Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, adding that the NAB’s actions could be considered as contempt of court.

The Chief Justice remarked that the court had given the detailed judgment in a separate case and Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman’s arrest could not pose contempt of court charges, saying that he had explained the term of reference about the NAB’s law.

Meanwhile, Hamid Mir told the court that Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman has extended his support for investigation and if any alleged criminals positively responding the investigation could not be detained. He said that the government has issued a notification to regulate the social media, though the federal cabinet had passed the Social Media Rules but government’s ministers told that there was not discussion on the Bill.

Barrister Jahangir Jadoon told the court that their application is on process in the same court that issued a notification to the government to respond. He told that Pemra had ordered cable operators were told to change the Geo New positions. He prayed the court to take action over steps against freedom of media. The chief justice said the court doesn’t have the powers of suo motu.

Presidents of the two factions of IHC Journalists Association Aamir Abbasi and Jahangir Aslam also appeared before the court and submitted their written replies about the case. Aamir Abbasi said journalists are doing self-accountability and press club membership of non-journalists has been terminated through scrutiny.

Hamid Mir said question mark still exists on membership of 600 journalists. The chief justice said no one should mind criticism because it is a key to moving forward. He said laws exist, but these are not acted upon. He said Pakistan is on 143rd position in freedom of expression index. He said whatever is happening in India for supressing freedom of expression, won’t be allowed to happen in Pakistan. He said rule of law will be ensured in Pakistan. He said the Pakistani courts will never allow usurpation of right of freedom of expression of citizens.

The CPNE sought some time for submitting its reply in the court which was granted. The hearing of the case was adjourned for two weeks.

The News

There is this “new weapon against journalists”, says the award-winning journalist who was with CNN for 20 years as bureau chief in Manila, then Jakarta, and as lead investigative reporter on terrorism in Southeast Asia. She returned to the Philippines in 2012 to help found the media start-up Rappler.com.

What Ressa terms as the global phenomenon of “patriotic trolling” will sound familiar to any journalist who pushes after the facts just about anywhere in the world, including Pakistan and other South Asian countries.

The particular targeting of women could in fact be termed “patriarchal trolling”.

The strategy is to “pound them”. It starts with a bottom up attack, “astroturfing”, fake grass that looks real. The fertiliser is social media. There is a scorched earth policy – silence the opponents, leave them incapable of action.

Extensive data examination reveals that “26 fake accounts can influence three million others… It’s a full-time job”. One of the slides Ressa presents shows the multiple times that the same message has been copy-pasted as a comment — up to 40-80 times a day.

Another slide shows how the networks spread as more and more people repeat the falsehoods. In the age of social media, “a lie told a million times becomes a fact”.

This info-ecosystem creates a bandwagon. Everyone believes in the “corruption” of X politician or the “foreign agenda” of Y journalist – and “so you must also”. The campaign against Rappler led to it being banned from the palace two years ago, and subsequently even from any private function that the president or his allies were attending.

To understand the phenomenon, Rappler uses natural language processing (NLP), a branch of artificial intelligence that deals with the interaction between computers and humans. Ressa shares the findings in a slide showing the intensity of online attacks correlating to the political timeline. Another slide features the three social media accounts that in a targeted way influenced thousands of others.

The one-sidedness of the fight is evident in a slide that shows how heavily the social media activity is weighted towards the pro-Duterte camp. The only time it evened out was the first time she was arrested, in February 2019. That’s when ‘normal’ people who were “moved enough to not look away” began to share information about the issue from various news sources. Today too, “people who care about facts, about democracy, can’t afford to look away”.

There was another time that both sides evened out, Ressa corrects herself: When U2 performed in the Philippines and Bono criticised the ongoing violation of human rights in the country. She modestly does not mention that she was among the Filipina women honoured at the concert. In fact, Bono mentioned her more than once: “Maria Ressa is an incredible woman but the extraordinary thing is even Maria Ressa will say it’s not about individuals, it’s about collective action”. (U2 honors Corazon Aquino, Maria Ressa, Pia Cayetano, other Filipino women in PH concert, CNN Philippines, 12 December 2019).

Another strategy to silence dissent is to degrade women as sexual objects. The end goal is to intimidate and wear down the target. At one point, Ressa received 90 hate messages an hour.

Social media campaigns become a foreshadowing of action against journalists. Ressa has experienced this first-hand, having been arrested twice. Her philosophy of demanding accountability from power didn’t go down too well with the tough-talking Rodrigo Duterte, mayor of Davao City for two decades, known as “the Punisher” because of the extrajudicial killings of over 1,000 suspected criminals that took place under his watch. He has denied having allowed the killings but has also at times bragged about them.

Duterte swept into power following presidential elections in 2016. His presidential campaign was riddled with obscenities, including boasts about his affairs and use of Viagra, and jokes about raping a missionary (‘Philippines election: Punisher’ Rodrigo Duterte in lead as polls close’, The Guardian, 9 May 2016).

The hashtag #arrestMariaRessa began circulating a month later. It gained traction around the mid-term elections in 2019. Ressa was arrested shortly afterwards. “I could have been released on bail but they kept me overnight just to show their power”.

In any case, “you don’t need to go to prison to be imprisoned”. There is a culture of fear that prevents journalists from doing their jobs. This is true not just in the Philippines.

As many as 88 percent of Pakistanis journalists who participated in a survey on self-censorship said they were most likely to hold back information related to religious and security matters in their reporting and personal conversations (Media Matters for Democracy, 2 May 2018).

Another target in the Philippines is opposition senator, human rights activist and lawyer Leila de Lima, critical of Duterte’s drug war. Two weeks after the hashtag #arrestleiladelima appeared, she was arrested, 24 February 2017. She continues to remain in detention, “pronounced guilty” even without a trial.

De Lima holds she is a victim of political persecution with her right to due process violated, and the personal attacks against her distorting public opinion (‘Rights groups demand release of Duterte critic Leila de Lima’, Al Jazeera, 22 Feb 2019).

The widespread perception that de Lima is corrupt, points out Ressa, is not proof of corruption. “She has never been allowed to present her case”.

But public opinion, as De Lima told Al Jazeera, makes it easier for the Philippines government to “manipulate” the legal system and justify her detention. (Sound familiar, Pakistan?)

There is also a view that tech enabled the wave of misogynistic strongmen elected in different countries around the world over the past years.

Duterte, as De Lima asserted, “hates strong women who stand up to him and fight him”.

Strong women are a threat everywhere. In Pakistan, an example of tech being used to take things out of context and make extreme narratives the norm is how a few controversial placards from the previous Aurat March commemorating International Women’s Day are being used to try and stop the event or intimidate its supporters.

Organisers of the march have faced massive abuse online. There are petitions in court demanding that the march be cancelled for being ‘anti-Islam’ or ‘westernised’. Fortunately, the courts have the sense to discard these. One judge who added that the slogans be ‘within the bounds of decency’ sparked criticism for overstepping his legal bounds and venturing into ‘moral policing’.

March organisers are also facing a backlash after a screenplay writer’s vile language against feminist activist Marvi Sirmed, not an organiser of the march but a supporter, when both were part of a panel on a television talk show discussing one of the controversial slogans. In the subsequent online war, the writer’s name started trending rather than Aurat March and its manifesto. After someone shared Sirmed’s cell number on Facebook, she began receiving 60 calls a minute, her WhatsApp choking with thousands of message notifications.

On the face of it, such attacks, on journalists, women and human rights activists, seem insurmountable and overwhelming. But as Ressa and Rappler’s experience shows, when you decide to fight, they are don’t have to be.

Being organised and fighting back is key. When the onslaught began and Rappler’s finances took a hit, the team leadership decided to chop their own salaries. Well-wishers chipped in for the USD 40,000 a month racked up in legal fees. Rappler’s finances, illustrated in a slide shared by Ressa, started becoming more diversified. The share of advertising is decreasing, and more money is coming in from other sources. Many of the news group’s founders, including Ressa, who had invested their own money to begin with, are putting earnings back and giving equal amount bonus to the team – Rapplers as they are called.

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”, asserts Maria Ressa, repeating the line like a mantra more than once during her presentation.

What we need to do, she says, is “combine investigative follow up with tech, and create communities of action”. Rappler came in with a news agenda, taking on the issue of climate and good governance, following up with the Sustainable Development Goals. “We can just play a defensive game. We have to create a new eco-system”.

To the question of journalism and activism, she comments that in the old days there were strict rules about keeping reporting and activism separate. After being arrested, she became aware of the problems of false equivalence – one side weighted heavily against the other.

This is something we in Pakistan realised during the Zia dark years. Journalists can’t sit on the fence when democracy is in danger.

Ressa agrees. “In the battle for truth, you have to say who lies”.

The bottom line now? Fight back. Stand against bullies. After the atomic boming of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the world came together to rebuild them. “An atom bomb has gone off in our eco-system”. We have to rebuild it, and come together globally, adds Ressa, vowing, “We will hold the line”. She’s not alone.

The good news is that it’s not just fake news, outrage and anger that spread fast. The second biggest thing that people like to share is inspiration. Courage is contagious. Rappler is going with the hashtag #CourageOn. So am I.

It was thanks to these sheroes that women today find so much freedoms and so much space to work in the media industry. Sheen Farrukh, who stepped into the field of journalism as a freelancer contributing articles for the eveninger Star and Akhbar-i-Khawateen for Rs20 each, and who later joined Akhbar-i-Khawateen and Mashriq as its city editor, joked that she herself now felt like a yellowed newsprint. “There are some very good female reporters in English newspapers though the Urdu print media has been unable to achieve the same. And in the electronic media they seem to be used more,” she observed.

Zohra Yusuf, who is now a member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, said that she also started her career from the eveninger Star said that she was pulled towards journalism by the late Najma Sadeque and Sherry Rehman. “At the time Star used to publish film posters, which went against my nature but this was also the time of women movements and I found writers like Hilda Saeed and Kausar who were passionate for the cause of women and they found Star as their platform while I was accused of turning it into a feminist paper,” she said.

Humaira Athar said that she joined Ailaan as a young student in 1976 for a salary of Rs250. Later, she worked for other publications including Anjam, Akhbar-i-Khawateen and Express, too.

She narrated the incident when she had gone to India to stay with her uncle but thought it to be a good opportunity to interview prime minister Indira Gandhi there. “She had recently come back to power and was thus cautious about giving careless statements. I was also permitted to interview her if I agreed to refrain from asking her political questions. I agreed otherwise I would not have been allowed to interview her at all. Then after talking about everything under the sun, I said to her that she came from a political family and either she or myself would be taken as a duffer if the interview had nothing about politics. She then allowed me two questions, one on Kashmir and the other on the Russians in Afghanistan,” she said.

“Then when the interview was published newspapers such as Dawn, Jang and Jasarat all wrote editorials based on the answers to those two questions,” she said.

Shahida Kazi said that she joined Dawn as a reporter soon after completing her master’s in journalism though later she was also associated with PTV. “The 1960s was a time when women used to think of becoming doctors or teachers. But my aptitude was towards English literature, philosophy and the arts. Then when Karachi University opened its journalism department I was the first and only girl for a time being to have entered it,” she said. But, she added, studying with boys, opting to travel by public transport helped her gain confidence and become more assertive, which in turn helped her in her reporting.

Raana Shaikh, former managing director of PTV and who was also associated with Geo and ARY, said that when she joined PTV in the late 1960s they were trained to even clean the sets and the floor, handle lighting, etc. “I remember how we used to cover Bhutto at political rallies and were totally charmed by his intelligence and charisma. Then on election day as the results were coming in and PPP was winning, I started cheering without realising that I was on live TV. Of course I was made to sit on the side until I learnt to control myself,” she said.

Zubeida Mustafa, who said that she started and ended her journalism career at Dawn for which she still writes a regular column, said that she can describe her career with the paper with one word — satisfactory. She said that she joined the paper as an assistant editor and leader writer but never desired editorship. “My aptitude, too, was always more towards writing and I was lucky that my editor gave me plenty of freedom,” she said.

Mahnaz Rahman, who has also freelanced as well as worked with several newspapers such as Musawat, Aman, etc, said that there was a time that she also had to flee to China with her journalist husband who took exile for some eight years due to his journalism. “I also got the Tamgha-i-Dosti for my work in China but when I returned to Pakistan things had changed here. There was no peace in sight and thus I joined the development sector since I was also very passionate about bringing a revolution,” she said.

Finally, Maheen Rashdi paid a touching personal tribute to her late aunt Razia Bhatti. She said it is almost 24 years since she lost her aunt, whom she lovingly called Razia Phuppi, the former editor of the monthly Herald and founder of Newsline. “Her political stands often caused arguments between my father and her other brothers at the dining table. Her opinions were not just bold but they were also way ahead of her time causing even Ziaul Haq to call her and Herald out.

“Two decades later, as editor of Newsline, she took on the governor of Sindh and our family remained terrified once again. But Razia Phuppo said that the truth must come out. She never printed retractions and went about her work with a ‘Que sera sera’ [Whatever will be will be]’ attitude,” she said while sharing her own childhood memories of accompanying her to her office as a little girl, something that resulted in her becoming a journalist herself.

Dawn

The Senate committee meeting, which was chaired by Pakistan Peoples Party Senator Rubina Khalid, expressed concern over the FIA claim that it received more than 56,000 complaints against various categories of online harassment but only 32 of them were under investigation.

“It was a matter of regret and it also shows that the organisation would have to be mobilised so that it could carry out its responsibility, too,” remarked the committee chair.

The committee was earlier briefed by FIA cybercrime wing director Waqar Chauhan. About last year, he said over 11,000 cases out of 27,000 complaints were investigated and suspects in as many as 32 cybercrime cases were convicted.

The committee members pointed out that even the members of parliament were facing cybercrime issues related to fake social media accounts.

Senator Khalid said it was the FIA’s responsibility to trace the elements behind the fake accounts but most of the time it passed on the responsibility to the PTA.

Senator Dr Shahzad Wasim said the FIA and the PTA should provide their annual performance reports to the committee.

The committee members highlighted that complaints had been lodged with the FIA over the fake accounts created in the names of Senators Kulsoom Parveen, Senator Taj Mohammad Afridi, Senator Aitzaz Ahsan and others.

“If this is happening to the parliamentarians, what will happen to ordinary people?” the senators asked.

As the FIA officials said those fake accounts had been blocked, the senators said that blocking a few accounts would not solve the problem.

The Senate committee members were of the opinion that those behind the cybercrime should have been exposed and demanded strict action against the culprits.

The committee members also expressed dismay over the delay in child pornography case inquiry.

However, IT Secretary Shoaib Siddiqui came to the rescue of the FIA cybercrime wing when he said that the department had limited human resources. He said the wing was facing budgetary constraints.

Mr Siddiqui said the cybercrime wing had its own procedures and was technically not different from the main FIA, as the cybercrime wing was run under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016. He explained to the committee that the FIA’s cybercrime wing was facing numerous issues which needed to be addressed. The Senate standing committee agreed to take up the issues faced by the cybercrime wing of the FIA.

Dawn

Fasihur Rehman, 47, was a brave and tenacious journalist who lived his life with dignity and refused to submit to the pressures every journalist has been facing during all these turbulent years. He was one of the pioneers of electronic media in Pakistan.

According to his family members, he had spent his childhood in the UAE where his father used to work in a construction company. After he completed his education, his family moved to Lahore where he chose the journalism profession.

Fasihur Rehman joined The Nation in 1996 as a reporter and was assigned the education beat. Later he moved to The News where he covered education and major political parties. He had cultivated very good relations with the powerful politicians, especially Chaudhrys and Sharifs. Fasih had all the qualities required for political journalism and he never sought personal favours.

In 2002, he was part of the founding team of Geo TV where journalists from across the country were imparted training by American broadcast journalists in Karachi. Over 200 senior journalists and some promising fresh graduates had been selected for training ahead of the launch of Pakistan’s first ever news channel in private sector. It was history in the making.

The evening gatherings at the Beach Luxury Hotel were rampant with pleasantries and political jokes. Being a keen observer and pleasantly sarcastic Fasih would always be at the best of his lively sense of humour. He was not a morning man. Discussing politics at late-night sittings was his favourite waste of time.

After the training was over he decided to move to Islamabad at the very start of Geo transmission. He thought the Capital was the best place to sharpen his skills for political journalism. Even as Fasih was away from Lahore, he would always be in touch with friends back home. He had a wide range of friends from journalists to politicians and businessmen. He would never hesitate to call a spade a spade, and he had to bear the consequences for his straightforwardness on certain occasions.

In 2007, he joined Express News and became a founding member of another mainstream broadcast media outlet in Pakistan. Once again there was a training and Fasih came back to Lahore for a brief period to spend good time with his old colleagues. His love for Lahore had never faded. Every other week he was found in his hometown to meet friends and family members.

Knowing his financial situation one of his former colleagues in Islamabad helped him find some international outlet to write for. A meeting was set. He was to meet his old colleague in the evening, the day he breathed his last.

Fasih never really settled down after quitting Geo News. He later joined Dunya TV as bureau chief and then moved back to Lahore to work for the same channel. But, he could not survive there for too long and went back to Islamabad to find a job at some other outlet. He also started writing for Gulf News and The News. Then he joined Indus News which was to be his last venture. It only lasted for about three months and he became unemployed again.

The economic slowdown has impacted the media industry badly. Several journalists and media workers have suffered due to massive lay-offs and pay-cuts. Some of the media men have died from heart attacks. Fasih became one of the victims. He had been trying to find a job for the last several months, but to no avail. His health had started to deteriorate. First he had developed diabetes and then an eye problem. During the testing times he sold his family houses in Sabzazar and Ramgarh (Mughalpura) areas of Lahore besides disposing of his plot in Journalists’ Housing Society.

He remained unshaken and never uttered a word of complaint about the worst times he was going through whenever he met his friends. Knowing his financial situation one of his former colleagues in Islamabad helped him find some international outlet to write for. A meeting was set. He was to meet his old colleague in the evening, the day he breathed his last.

Here is what Aamir Ghauri wrote on Twitter: ‘A very good friend, a hardworking journalist, a conscientious professional, a trustworthy colleague & a brother-like soul, Fasihur Rehman Khan has moved on after an earlier than expected appointment call from our real Boss. We were supposed to meet at 3.30pm yesterday. May he RIEP.’

The journalists’ community was stunned by the news of sudden death of Fasih ur Rehman. Rich tributes started to pour in. Awais Toheed tweeted, ‘I am devastated by the shocking news of the death of a dear friend& journalist Fasih ur Rehman due to cardiac arrest…’

Matiullah Jan remarked, ‘Senior journalist Fasih Ur Rehman is no more. Inna Lilla e wa Inna Illahe Rajioon! Allah maghfarat farmae. Ameen! a brilliant analyst, experienced reporter, had an excellent insight into parliamentary activities, will surely miss him a lot. We were together in AQS Live lately.’

The News International

India since Parturition has invested on its media making it an effective tool for promoting its culture, religion and ideology. Indian news channels, dramas and movies leave no stone unturned for the promotion of their national dress, Hindustan, Hindu religion and Maha Bharat.

Pakistan was created in the slogan of creation of state where the people can lead their lives according to the teachings of Islam. This theme was followed in the constitutions of 1956, 1962 and 1973 as Directive Principles of the Constitution. Today in the year 2020, when I tried to equate the ideals of Directive Policy starting from Article 29 to Article 40 of the Constitution of the 1973 of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan; the article wise scenario is as under;

1. Islamic way of life:

Islam and Islamic way of life are not being promoted by our media in accordance with the constitution. Media is busy promoting western dresses while English language and yellow journalism practices have become the order of the day.

2. Discouragement of prejudices:

Media is seen promoting parochial, regional, provincial, racial, tribal and sectarian divide among the nation in the name of talk shows, interviews, and telecast of live speeches without considering national interests.

3. Protection of Family etc.

The theme of almost all the dramas telecasted on our media is about divorce, second marriage, joint family system, extra marital affairs and western and Indian dresses. Decent families cannot sit together to watch dramas on our media.

4. Full participation of women in national life:

Islam has given respectable status to women in society. The role of women in our media like the western media is restricted to a showpiece. Women appear on television without taking dupattas and are presented as a tool for appeasing men.

5. Protection of Minorities:

Protection of minorities is one of the covenant features of Islam and also has been incorporated in the constitution. Media in the rest of the world is used for creation of religious harmony. Our media, contrary to the above, report fissures for disturbing harmony ranging from forced conversions to promoting fake news of blasphemy.

6. Eradication of social evils:

According to a recent report, Pakistan is at the top of the countries watching pornography on the internet in the world. This is made possible due to the provision of the world`s cheapest rates of internet services to the Pakistani customers by our cellular companies. The effort of the cellular companies is abetted by PEMRA which neither itself is blocking the objectionable material on the internet nor making the cellular companies accountable for the offence. The character of a nation defines the worth of a nation in the community of nations.

To cut things short, I fail to understand that whether media in Pakistan is the fifth pillar of the state or not? If it is then like the rest of the world it should work for the promotion of our culture, harmony and national interest. If it is not then the government has to take steps for charging the media under the relevant provisions of law for violation of the constitution.

Daily Times

One of the reasons for this was, perhaps, the religious beliefs of these writers. Pyare Lal Shakir Meruthi, a poet, prose writer and journalist was a Christian. In fact, his paternal grandfather had embraced Christianity, renouncing his ancestral faith. So Pyare Lal was a Christian by birth, not a convert, as some erroneously believe. Despite his commendable literary and journalistic work, Pyare Lal Shakir has been forgotten. If people had any idea that Pyare Lal Shakir was somehow related to Meena Kumari, popularly known as the Tragedy Queen of Indian cinema, he would have been much known, as people these days care more about showbiz personalities than intellectuals.

Munshi Pyare Lal Shakir Meruthi was born in Kanker Khera, a suburb of Meerut, UP, on March 13, 1880. After initial schooling at home, Pyare Lal was admitted to Church Mission High School, Meerut. But in 1896, he had to quit his formal education and moved to Punjab, doing some odd jobs at Lahore and Firozpur. His father was in Patiala and asked him to come over and take admission to Mohindra College, Patiala. Pyare Lal just did that but somehow could not continue his education and went to Muzaffarnagar to serve at a Christian mission. A restless soul as he was, Pyare Lal soon moved to Gujrat (Punjab). Here the embers of literary talent, that had been smouldering beneath the ashes found conducive conditions to blaze.

Soon Pyare Lal began composing ghazals in Urdu and took ‘Shakir’ as a takhallus or penname. His latent talent began to shine with encouragement from Shaukat Meruthi, a well-known poet. Pyare Lal became Shaukat Meruthi’s ‘shaagird’, or disciple, as it was customary for a young poet to be under the guidance of a maestro else he was scoffed at as being ‘untrained’. Moulvi Ahmed Hasan Shaukat Meruthi (1839-1922) was a religious scholar and a poet, too. Under his guidance, Pyare Lal Shakir began writing modern Urdu poems.

Back in 1900s, Dr Patel published Tohfa-i-Sarhad, an Urdu newspaper for Christians from Bannu, NWFP (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). Pyare Lal Shakir became its editor in 1904. At that time Shakir was barely 25. He stayed in Bannu and edited the paper till 1907, when he moved to Kanpur and worked as manager and sub-editor for Zamana, an esteemed Urdu literary magazine. Zamana was launched in 1903 and its contributors included some real big names of the day. Shakir’s writings too began appearing in Zamana, giving him much fame. In 1908, Shakir moved to Allahabad and became assistant editor of Makhzan-i-Maseehi, an Urdu fortnightly published for Christians. He served it from March 1909 to May 1911.

The early decades of 20th century witnessed a flurry of Urdu literary magazines, though a few could survive beyond a few years. Among them was Adeeb. Launched in January 1910 from Allahabad and edited by Munshi Naubat Rai Nazar (1866-1923), Adeeb was a popular literary journal. When Nazar quit Adeeb, Shakir was asked to join and he became its editor in June 1911. Under his editorship, the circulation and popularity of Adeeb rose. Based in Allahabad, Shakir wrote for many other magazines too, such as, Makhzan, Zamana, Ismat and Zaban.

After a year and a half, Shakir quit Adeeb and a few months later in June 1913, it ceased publication. In March 1913, Shakir launched Al-Asr, his own Urdu literary magazine, from Lucknow. Though it could not last long either and had to be closed down in December 1917, Al-Asr set high standards of printing, get-up and contents.

The famous Indian actress Meena Kumari was the granddaughter of Munshi Pyare Lal Shakir Meruthi. When Hem Sundari Tagore’s husband died, she left for Meerut and met Pyare Lal Shakir Meruthi. She embraced Christianity, they got married and had a son and two daughters named Prem Lata and Prabhawati Devi. Prabhawati was a stage actress. She met Master Ali Bakhsh, who belonged to Bhera (now a part of Pakistani Punjab) and worked for theatre, played music and composed Urdu poetry. Prabhawati embraced Islam, was named Iqbal Begum and married Ali Bakhsh. They had a daughter and named her Mahjabeen Bano who was to shine as a star named Meena Kumari.

Pyare Lal Shakir knew Urdu, Hindi, Sanskrit, English and Persian. According to Abid Raza Baidar, during the last years of his life, Pyare Lal Shakir had a marked tendency towards literature promoting Christianity and in addition to writing articles he also translated many psalms and prayers into Urdu. Shakir also launched Kohkan-i-Hind, an Urdu magazine and was associated with Matthews Lyell to publish Zindagi, another magazine.

Shakir’s other works include Haalaat-i-Sir Syed, Vafa Ka Putla and Urdu translation of Rabindranath Tagore’s biography. Pyare Lal Shakir died on Feb 25, 1956, in Delhi and was buried in Christian Cemetery, Pahar Ganj, Delhi.

Dawn

Addressing the inaugural session, Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani said such conferences were essential in providing a useful platform to key stakeholders to share knowledge, research and experiences to promote healthy and productive discussions to achieve the common goal of a better Pakistan.

Author and former federal minister Javed Jabbar said the media was a very powerful medium and should be used in a right manner. He was of the view that the role of media could not be ignored in the national development but the media’s role solely depended on freedom, access to information and freedom of speech.

He said if the media had easy access to information, the government policies would be in the right direction. There would be transparency in all the development projects, he added.

Journalist Mazhar Abbas said the media had always played a positive role against dictatorship. It should not be criticised just because it exposed the corruption of political leaders and unconstitutional acts of dictators, he remarked, adding that unluckily, not only dictators but the democratic governments also made several laws to control the media and journalist communities.

Due to such laws, the media suffered in the past seventy years, Abbas said, adding that it was the basic job of journalists to report whatever was happening, be it lawlessness or development.

Other key speakers at the inaugural session included Bahria University Rector Vice Admiral Kaleem Shoukat, media and communications scholar Dr Nico Carpentier and AMCAP President Prof Dr Bushra Hameedur Rehman.

The first day also included working sessions where issues of national importance were discussed, such as the role of the media in bringing social development initiatives to grassroots level and the emergence of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as a game-changing initiative.

These sessions were attended by prominent scholars, including foreign academic Dr Pille Pruulmann Vangerfeldt. Numerous research papers by academics from universities across Pakistan were also presented on the first day of the conference.

The conference will conclude today (Tuesday). The programme on the concluding day includes working sessions on portrayal of gender equality and social injustice in media, importance of information technology as a driving force for developing countries, significance of media ethics in the reporting of economic crisis and the role of media education in providing quality human resource.

The closing ceremony of the conference which will be attended by Sindh Governor Sindh Imran Ismail as the chief guest. Other key speakers in the ceremony will include journalists Ghazi Salahuddin and Fahd Hussain.

Lifetime achievement awards will also be conferred on prominent media scholars for their contribution to academia and the media industry.

The panel for the session included renowned media professionals, including Arif Nizami, Munizae Jahangir, Zafar Siddiqi and Mariam Chaudhry. It was moderated by journalist Benazir Shah.

Beginning the discussion by sharing her views on the prominence of digital media today, Ms Jahangir said that since mainstream media was practicing self-censorship, it was unable to freely tell stories, which then ended up being told on social media. Quoting an example of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement, she said that young, educated Pashtuns were actively using this powerful digital tool to tell the stories of the victimised that the traditional media was earlier known to do. She said now the mainstream media was all about statement journalism, and social media was covering stories, which was the real essence of journalism.

Mr Siddiqi added that the current generation was born with smartphones and the media landscape had changed because of that and shall continue to evolve with a completely different environment by 2030.

Mr Nizami, while agreeing with Mr Siddiqi, said that the digital revolution had drastically changed the media today – both print and television. While this change was being witnessed worldwide, unfortunately in Pakistan, the media houses were still catching up and social media was being extensively used by the younger generation.

Sharing her views, Ms Chaudhry said that before 2006, there was only one channel that people relied on as the source of news and entertainment. But now, both the younger and older generations had developed a habit of scrolling on their phones to get the latest updates through social media. People were interested in good journalism but did not have the time to read through long articles or wait for the news so were rather inclined towards shorter articles, video clips and pictures.

Social media also provided the option of ‘following’, which was key in her experience of running a digital platform, The Current; she has to check the number of ‘followers’ and ‘unfollows’ daily to strategise her next move.

Ms Jahangir felt that due to increasing censorship on TV, mainstream media was barred from talking about various issues, while in the past certain people were banned from even appearing on TV. A 35-page document outlining new rules for social media had been notified by the government that was not well thought-out as it was very vague. She continued that journalists were being charged with sedition and talk shows censored without notice, which she believed needed to change.

Mr Siddiqi agreed, but commended the government’s decision to hold consultation on the social media rules and get a chance to think it through. He did not agree with enforcing control over any kind of media, but advocated guidelines for them. However Ms Jahangir was quick to point out that these laws were doing more harm than good since they suggested that the government viewed the people with suspicion although they should be rather consulted in the process.

In the case of digital media, Ms Chaudhry said that Pakistan was facing many difficulties in running social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube as they were not financially viable and lacked the availability of real-time trends that could help them efficiently run their channels and pages unlike in other countries. Thus, censorship was one of the many challenges.

To this, Mr Siddiqi said that digital platforms needed considerable investment, unique selling points and time to become successful, especially if they were in English.

Finally, while discussing the change in newsroom conversations, Ms Chaudhry explained that they were now more social media-driven since the new media was now generating news that was then reported in mainstream media, citing examples of Aurat March and movements like #MeToo.

She said the trickle-down effect could be observed with political parties increasingly using social media to express their views. However, there was always the looming danger of fake news. Ms Jahangir also felt that mainstream media often missed the stories that social media was quick to report first, by narrating the example of the student movements in both Pakistan and India and the action taken by the governments against them.

Dawn

The conference aims to provide a platform to policymakers, legislators, academicians and professionals from the development sector and the media to discuss various issues plaguing our society and recommend solutions.

It will consist of various working sessions and presentations of research papers on different themes. The inaugural ceremony will be held on February 24, and the opening address will be presented by Vice Admiral Kaleem Shaukat HI (M), rector of the Bahria University.

The keynote speakers are two prominent media and communications scholars: Dr Nico Carpentier, who is Extraordinary Professor at the Charles University, Czech Republic; and Dr Pille Pruulmann Vangerfeld, who is a professor in Media and Communication at Malmo University, Sweden.

Panellists at the working sessions will discuss issues of national importance such as the role of media in bringing social development initiatives to the grassroots, emergence of the CPEC as a game-changing initiative, portrayal of gender equality and social injustice in media, importance of information technology as a driving force for developing countries, significance of media ethics in the reporting of economic crisis and the role of media education in providing quality human resource.

Eminent guests who will attend working sessions include Dr Umar Saif, Dr Ishrat Husain, Dr Amjad Saqib, Aasim Siddiqui, Dr Kaiser Bengali, Dr Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, Li Bijian, Javed Jabbar, Faisal Siddiqui, Saeed Ghani, Shehzad Roy, Favad Soomro, Farhan Malick, Mahnaz Rahman, Mahim Maher, Tasneem Ahmar, Uzma Al Karim, Sidra Imran, Farhat Ishtiaq, Salim Ghauri, Muzammil Aslam, Mubashir Zaidi, Muhammad Junaid, Fahd Husain and Muhammad Fahad.

Over 70 academics from universities across Pakistan will present their research findings in the fields of media, culture and society, media and gender, digital media, development communications, film studies and media education.

The closing ceremony will be held on February 25, in which Rear Admiral (retd) Mukhtar Khan HI (M), director general of Bahria University Karachi Campus, will deliver his vote of thanks to the participants and organisers.

The News

It was a collective responsibility and all the people, including the media persons, would have to actively contribute towards achieving the goal, he said while speaking at the Lux Hum Women Leaders Award 2020 here at the Sindh Governor’s House.

Dr Arif Alvi said drama was an excellent medium to educate people about the problems being faced by the society. The drama writers should particularly penned the stories of polio or hepatitis patients so as to create awareness about the deadly diseases.

He would soon hold meetings with writers, columnists and artists, he added.

The president appreciated the organizers of the Lux Hum Women Leaders Award 2020 for recognizing the achievements of women.

The women in Pakistan, he said, were mostly deprived of their right of inheritance in the property, and their empowerment should be started by ensuring that right. Islam was the only religion, which had defined the women right of inheritance in property in clear terms, he added.

Dr Alvi said no country could achieve the goal of sustainable development without empowering the women.

That was why the women in Pakistan were being empowered through Ehsaas Programme by the incumbent government. Women had around 18 to 22 per cent representation in the parliament in Pakistan, he added.

He said the recipients of Lux Hum Women Leader Awards had done hard work to achieve the success.

Earlier in his welcome address, Hum Network President Mrs Sultana Siddiqui said that the objective to launch the Women Leaders Award was to recognize the contributions of women in their respective fields at home and abroad.

United States Ambassador Paul Wayne Jones said his country observed the International Women Day with a commitment to empower women across the globe. The empowerment of women was crucial for socio-economic growth of any country, he added.

Later, prominent women include Maleeha Lodhi, Bushra Ansari, Shamshad Akhtar, Samina Baig, Narges Abyar, Jallila Hiader and Seemin Jamali were presented awards for their out-standing contributions in respective fields.

APP

Ms Bilour issued the directive on Tuesday during a meeting she was presiding over, said an official statement.

She said since newspaper workers often faced problems with regard to payment of salaries by their employers, the issuance of advertisements to newspapers should be made conditional to payment of salaries to workers.

She also directed relevant authorities to invite newspapers’ editors to the next meeting of the committee so that they could themselves see efforts being made by the information department to ensure transparency in the affairs of the department.

Here follows a few vital historic facts about polio:

On February 18, 2020 (Tuesday), the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, had visited a kindergarten school in Lahore during the first nationwide polio campaign of the year and vaccinated three students with the polio vaccine. More than 39 million children across the country are set to be vaccinated during the February campaign.

There are currently 265,000 frontline workers who go door to door during campaigns to ensure that as many Pakistani children as possible are vaccinated against polio. Almost 62 per cent of these workers are female.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), during 2019, Pakistan was confronted with a resurgence of polio beyond traditional strongholds of the virus. There are 17 cases thus far in 2020.

Currently, only Pakistan and Afghanistan remain endemic and have sadly reported Polio cases. August, 21, 2019 had marked a major milestone in the history of Nigeria, as the country had reached three years without reporting a case of poliovirus.

But those affected by polio can gain inspiration from many famous people who became victims of polio during their lives. These include former four-time American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (who contracted polio in 1921 at the age of 39 and used a wheelchair thereafter, though he attempted to hide his paralysis during public appearances), Nazi leader Adolf Hitler’s Information wizard and father of modern propaganda Dr Joseph Goebbels, legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola (known for being the mastermind behind iconic movies such as ‘The Godfather’), great Indian cricketer Bhagwat Chandrashekhar and globally-acknowledged Australian publisher, cricket organiser and business leader, Kerry Packer.

Also called Poliomyelitis, or infantile paralysis, polio has been plaguing the world since a really long time. Although the disease doesn’t have fatal consequences, it physically handicaps a person, preventing him/her from leading a normal life.

According to Rotary International, a global service organisation having a footprint in over 200 countries and territories, it has till date helped immunize more than 2.5 billion children against polio in 122 countries.

It says that in 1998, there were more than 350,000 cases of polio annually in 125 countries around the world. Rotary asserts that today, due to its efforts and unending struggle of its partners and world governments, the incidence of polio has plummeted by more than 99.9 percent.

In 1894, the first major documented polio outbreak in the United States had occurred in Vermont; 18 deaths and 132 cases of permanent paralysis were reported. In 1905, Swedish physician Ivar Wickman had suggested that polio was a contagious disease that could spread from person to person, and also recognised that polio could be present in people who showed no symptoms otherwise.

In 1908, two physicians in Vienna, Karl Landsteiner and Erwin Popper, had discovered that polio was caused by a virus. By 1910, polio became the world’s most feared disease as frequent epidemics became regular events throughout the developed world, primarily in cities, during the summer months. At its peak in the 1940s and 1950s, polio used to paralyze or kill over half a million people worldwide every year.

In 1916, there were over 27,000 cases and more than 6,000 deaths due to polio in the United States, with over 2,000 deaths in New York City alone.

In 1955, a vaccine developed by Dr Jonas Edward Salk was declared “safe and effective”. Salk (1914-1995), an American medical researcher and virologist, had developed this vaccine just three years after the 1952 American epidemic, the worst outbreak in the nation’s history, had killed 3,145 people. There were over 58,000 polio cases reported that year. To be precise, some 21,269 people were left with mild to disabling paralysis, with most of its victims being children.

When news of the vaccine’s success was made public on April 12, 1955, Salk was hailed as a “miracle worker” and the day almost became a national holiday.

Salk claimed that his sole focus had been to develop a safe and effective vaccine as rapidly as possible, with no interest in personal profit, and credited this attitude with the fact that there is no patent for the vaccine.

Jonas Salk’s last years were spent searching for a vaccine for HIV/AIDS.

(References: Encyclopedia Britannica, the New York Times and the US Food and Drug Administration)

In 1960, the American government had licenses the oral polio vaccine developed by Dr Albert Sabin.

In 1979, Rotary International began its fight against polio with a multi-year project to immunize six million children in the Philippines.

In 1994, the International Commission for the Certification of Poliomyelitis Eradication had announced that polio had been eliminated from the America.

In 1999, health workers and volunteers had immunized 165 million children in China and India in just one week.

In 2000, a record 550 million children – almost 10 per cent of the world’s population – had received the oral polio vaccine. The Western Pacific region, spanning from Australia to China, was declared polio-free.

By 2003, only six countries – Afghanistan, Egypt, India, Niger, Nigeria and Pakistan – were polio-endemic. In 2006, the number of polio-endemic countries had dropped to just 4 – Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan.

By 2009, Rotary’s overall contribution to eradication effort had touched $800 million. In January 2009, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation had pledged $355 million and issued Rotary a challenge grant of $200 million.

By 2011, Rotary International’s funding for polio eradication had exceeded $1 billion. The requirements for 2013-2019 were projected to be approximately US$ 4.2 billion. In November 2019, donor governments and philanthropists had pledged $2.6 billion to help fund a worldwide polio eradication plan though.

Journalism today is undergoing a massive evolution. And, yet, the legacy media has remained deep in the slumber of our traditions, not batting an eyelash till the game was over. Herald, Newsline, Daily News and Waqt News are just some of the media operations that have shut down across Pakistan. Over 5,000 media workers have lost their jobs and thousands more have had their paycheques slashed by anywhere between 15 to 35 per cent.

The root of this crisis is assigned to the withdrawal of government advertisements, but this disingenuous analysis largely ignores the global media catastrophe that mirrored similar media crises in countries across the globe. In the last 15 years, over 1,800 print media outlets have been shuttered in the US, and 245 in the UK. To make the transition from traditional to digital media, the BBC indicated that they would shut down several of its programmes and lay off 450 employees.

E-business guide eBizMBA reveals that the most popular news websites in January 2020 are Yahoo News in first place, Google News second, HuffPost third, CNN fourth and The New York Times in fifth place. This means that Yahoo and Google have revenues of more than 95pc of all digital advertisements on news platforms; the remaining 5pc was distributed amongst traditional media houses. But our local media outlets are not ready to accept the reality that traditional modes of business have become obsolete. No longer do broadcasters dominate the airwaves, the world belongs to news consumers, and the only way to rise above this tide is to create audience-centric content in user-friendly formats.

Pakistan’s legacy media needs to adapt in the digital age.

پاکستان پریس فاوٗنڈیشن (پی پی ایف)نے پاکستان میں میڈیا کی آزادی اور حفاظت   کے فیلو شپ پروگرام کے لیے درخواستیں وصول کرنے کا اعلان کردیا۔

اس فیلو شپ پروگرام کا مقصد آزادی اظہار رائے کو فروغ دینا اور میڈیا کارکنان کو مدد فراہم کرناہے تاکہ وہ میڈیا کی آزادی اور صحافیوں کے تحفظ سے متعلق مسائل پر رپورٹس تیار کرسکیں ۔

اس فیلوشپ پروگرام میں دو ورک شاپس منعقد کی جائیں گی اور اس کے ساتھ ادارتی اور تکنیکی تعاون بھی دیا جائے گا تاکہ میڈیا کارکنان کی حفاظت پر ،اخلاقی ، قانونی ور پیشہ ورانہ صحافت کے بہتر ین معیار  کے مطابق رپور ٹس تیار کی جائیں۔منتخب افراد میں سے ہر فرد کو فیلوشپ پروگرام کے دوران چھ رپورٹس تیار کرنا ہوں  گی۔ان افراد کو زیادہ ترجیح دی جائے گی جو صحافیوں کو قتل یا زخمی کیے جانے کے مخصوص واقعات پر تفتیشی رپورٹنگ کریں۔

منتخب افراد کو سینیئر صحافیوں کی معاونت میں رکھا جائے گا جو اس فیلو شپ پروگرام کی مدت تک ان افراد کے ایڈیٹر کے فرائض انجام دیں گے۔

صحافی جو پرنٹ،ٹیلی ویژن،ریڈیو یا آن لائن میڈیا میں کم سے کم تین سال کا تجربہ رکھتے ہیں وہ اس پروگرام کے لیے درخواست دے سکتےہیں۔خواتین صحافیوں کی درخواست جمع کروانے کی حوصلہ افزائی کی جائے گی۔

بلوچستان،ضم شدہ اضلاع (سابقہ فاٹا) ،گلگت بلتستان اور آزاد کشمیر سے تعلق رکھنے والے صحافیوں کے لیےاہلیت کی بنا پر شرائط میں نرمی رکھی جاسکتی ہے۔

اس فیلوشپ پروگرام کی مدت تین ماہ ہے اور اس پروگرام میں منتخب افراد کو ساٹھ ہزار روپے(60,000)ادا کیے جائیں گے۔

،درخواست گزار کے لیے درج ذیل کاغذات بھیجنا ضروری ہی

حالیہ تصویر کے ساتھ CV

 درخواست فارم

 پروپوزل فارم

تین لنکس /شائع کردہ یا نشر شدہ رپورٹس

پر بھیجیئے۔  fellowships@pakistanpressfoundation.org درخواست

درخواستیں جمع کروانے کی آخری تاریخ جمعہ 27فروری 2020ہے۔آخری تاریخ گزرنے کے بعد موصول ہونے والی درخواستوں پر عمل نہیں کیا جائے گا۔

پروپوزل فارم کے لیے کلک کریں

درخوست فارم کے لیے کلک کریں

English translation

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) has issued a call for applications for Fellowship program on
Media Safety and Impunity in Pakistan.

The fellowship program aims to promote freedom of expression by providing support to media professionals to produce stories related to issues on Media Safety and Impunity.

The fellowship programs will include two capacity building workshops as well as editorial and technical support to produce reports on safety of media practitioners that meet professional, ethical and legal best practices in journalism. Each selected fellow will have to produce up to six stories during this fellowship program. Preference will be given to fellows who will commit to investigating impunity for specific cases of journalists killed or injured.

Selected fellows will be paired with senior journalist who will act as fellowship editor during the period of fellowship program.

Journalists having minimum experience of three years working for print, television, radio and online media can apply for the fellowship program.

The criteria for journalists from Baluchistan, Districts that were formally in FATA, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir may be relaxed for otherwise qualified applicants. Female journalists are encouraged to apply.

The duration of the fellowship is three months and the amount for the fellowship is sixty thousand rupees.

Applicants must send:

• Professional resume/CV with recent photograph
• Story proposal form (for story proposal form click here)
• Application form (for application form click here)
• Three links/samples of published or broadcast pieces.
• Applications should be sent to fellowships@pakistanpressfoundation.org

The deadline for submitting applications is Thursday, February 27, 2020. Applications received after the due date will not be entertained.

Urdu translation

Senior anchorperson Saleem Safi speaking in Pashto, appealed that Pakistanis have fought against every threat and crisis with bravery and the anti-polio campaign demands only 10 minutes of their attention. Safi said they can uproot this disease forever only if they show commitment to defend the nation against the dreadful disease. We must ensure our children get the polio vaccination. The news anchor said for the nation that won independence from the imperialist forces with bare hands and defeated the blood-curdling terrorism, how can it let its future generation be crippled by polio. It is just a matter of two drops of vaccine to safeguard our children. He said countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, India, Ethiopia, Haiti, Bhutan, Rwanda and Ghana, and even Afghanistan have overcome polio.

The other anchors and the cricketer said Pakistan will have another chance to safeguard its children from life long disability by actively taking part in the anti-polio vaccine campaign starting from February 17 to 20. They requested all the parents to ensure no child under five years of age is left unvaccinated. They said the polio drops do not cause any threat, but not doing so will turn the lives of the children for worse, adding that we could not be defeated by polio and we cannot allow that to happen to our future generation. They said the strong Pakistan nation has overcome every hurdle and dared every challenge and crisis, will surely be dealt a strong blow to defeat polio by allowing all children under five years of age to get two drops of polio and also get the children revaccinated in the booster campaigns.

They appealed the people to support Geo News in the anti-polio campaign by sending their video messages to the Geo News. The Geo News will broadcast their messages.

The Media Days, to be held in Karachi and Lahore from 15th-18th February, will be attended by all the available players, which will provide the media with an opportunity to get an insight into the teams’ preparations as well as to ask questions from the players in line with their editorial policies.

The media representatives are strongly advised to contact team media managers before any activity as these are subject to last-minute changes.

The team media managers will also be first contact point for the media for information relating to injury updates, interview requests and player availabilities, a PCB spokesman said.

Business Recorder

Addressing a day-long workshop titled “The Role of Media in the Polio Campaign”, Razzaq said polio has almost ended all over the world except for Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Addressing the programme, team leader of UNICEF polio programme Balochistan Dr Aziz said the polio vaccine does not contain any harmful ingredients, as all the concerns regarding the vaccine have already been addressed.

“Media can spread awareness among the people to help quash baseless propagandas about the polio vaccine,” Aziz said, adding that at least 144 polio cases were reported in Pakistan in 2019 out of which 12 were from Balochistan.

“Government of Pakistan has declared an emergency regarding polio and is taking concrete measures to eradicate the crippling disease once and for all,” he added.

He said all the available resources to tackle the deadly disease were being used through anti-polio campaigns.

“The poliovirus was eradicated from Balochistan but the virus from Afghanistan once again affected the province,” he said.

The Express Tribune

Ombudsperson Kashmala Tariq was hearing a complaint filed by a Pemra employee against a human resource and administration official in which the employee accused him of abuse of authority and sexual harassment.

Ms Tariq ordered the suspension of the Pemra official’s service and directed him and other senior officials, including the Pemra chairman, to appear at the next hearing.

Speaking to the press after the hearing on Tuesday, the counsel for the complainant, Aliya Zareen, said the next hearing would be on Feb 19.

The delegation was led by President of the Club Imtiaz Khan, said a statement.

Other members included Vice President Saeed Sarbazi, Secretary Arman Saber, Joint Secretary Saqib Saghir and others.

The governor congratulated the newly elected office bearers of the Karachi Press Club and expressed hope that they would continue to serve for the welfare of the KPC members.

During the meeting, the issues faced by journalists, the role of Karachi Press Club in the welfare of journalists, the efforts of the KPC in the struggle for the cause of democracy and freedom of the press were discussed.

The governor added that its members have taken significant steps to promote democracy and journalistic values.

Imran Ismail said that the Federal government would take every possible measures to solve the problems of journalists.

Delegation members requested the Governor of Sindh to cooperate in providing health cards and housing facilities to the journalists.

URDU POINT

In a felicitation message issued here, the minister expressed the hope that newly elected cabinet would utilize all its energies and capabilities for welfare of their fellow colleagues.

He said the provincial government of PTI believed in freedom of journalism, adding that it was also the responsibility of journalist fraternity to highlight positive efforts of government.

URDU POINT

Police said they have registered the FIR on the complaint of anchorwoman Qandeel Nasra. The complaint states that Qandeel lives in a residential apartment building in Defence Phase-V on Khayaban-e-Shamsheer.

The anchor’s complaint further states that Ayesha, against whom she has filed her complaint, lives alone in the same apartment building. Qandeel claims that on the night of January 20, Ayesha’s dog attacked and wounded her near the Khadda Market in Defence Phase-V.

The anchorwoman demanded that the dog should be taken away from the building because the presence of the canine has been causing fear and panic among the residents.

Dr Schlagheck first addressed the media for a few minutes after which he took questions. In his speech he said the club was one of the very few appointments in Karachi that he was looking forward to. Places such as the club were essential to democracy. Referring to the demonstration that was taking place outside the club prior to the programme he pointed out that it was testament to the vitality and vibrancy of the KPC. It showed the trust that civil society put in the club.

“The role of the press is to challenge people in power. The people in power sometimes don’t like what you write, sometimes they do, but you shouldn’t be discouraged by that,” he said.

German Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Bernhard Schlagheck interacts with the media

The first question that was put to the ambassador was about the security situation in Pakistan. Dr Schlagheck replied that over the last couple of years they’d seen considerable improvement in the security situation in the country. Perhaps it didn’t apply to every nook and cranny of Pakistan. But they were constantly checking the situation. All in all, he said, he’d encourage German tourists to come to Pakistan.

On the subject of economic cooperation between Germany and Pakistan, he said it’s primarily business-to-business relations. In Germany, the government couldn’t tell companies to invest in Pakistan or Vietnam etc. It’s basically the decision of private companies to decide where to invest. The government could provide the necessary framework for companies to decide where to do business. At that point Dr Schlagheck asked the German Consul General in Karachi, Eugen Wollfarth, who was sitting next to him, to speak on the topic because he thought he was better suited to respond to the query. Mr Wollfarth told journalists about the different steps that Germany had taken in that regard and remarked that Pakistan was a business opportunity and they needed to identify it, but echoed what the ambassador had said that it’s a business-to-business decision of private enterprises and therefore must be convincing [for German businessmen].

Answering a question about his predecessor Martin Kobler and his penchant for using social media, Dr Schlagheck appreciated his services as ambassador. Calling him unconventional in his approach to work, he called himself more conventional. “There is substance even beyond social media,” he remarked.

On the issue of GSP Plus status and the direction Pakistan was moving in, Dr Schlagheck said it’s an EU process. “We are talking to the EU leaders.” He stressed that the process was critical. In principle, he was of the view that Pakistan was moving in the right direction but there was [still] some work to do for the Pakistani government.

Responding to Germany’s stance on the crisis in held Kashmir, the ambassador said from the very beginning, Germany had conveyed to India that it’s concerned about the human and constitutional rights situation in Kashmir. We had reiterated our concern. When it came to the status of Jammu and Kashmir, Germany had always said that the revocation of Article 370 did affect the security of the region. We had asked both sides to refrain from any kind of escalation, he added.

Dawn

Like everything, the forms of media too have pros and cons. However, media and its different forms not only highlight the developments being taken place in the world but also create opportunities for a society to groom its social skills. Equally, it also gives a chance to expand and develop social circle. Other pros include social confidence, heightened literacy in the media and more social support. The cultural and political awareness is imperative if we want to groom a generation of socially responsible citizens.

In the era of fast media and with the progress in information and technology, propaganda journalism strengthened its roots and unearthed as powerful tool which could be considered as one of the major negative aspects of fast growing media having impacts negatively on the minds of young generation. The reason that propaganda journalism strengthened its roots is political parties and their social media wings round the clock working against the narratives of each other.

The trolls paid by political parties have been witnessed to be super active on social media and a newly introduced concept in Pakistan known as 5th generation war has also been shadowed by the propaganda journalism. Their main tool is certain applications and different software used for distorting the images and doctoring the documents with content of their own choice for political gains and political point scoring.

Likewise, there is no check on violence in video games and movies which are making society violent. Many teenagers influenced by these games or movies remain failed to distinguish between reality and fantasy making violence ‘normal’ for them. The other thing that failed to seek due diligence is sexuality due to which irresponsible and unwarranted sexual behavior has become normal. Advertisers are targeting teenagers to ramp up their revenues. Outdoor games vanished.

The media today is powerful and we need to understand, media is just a tool like any other tool.

Most teenagers lookup to celebrities and when a celebrity tells them to stay off drugs they just might listen because media always give inspiration to the audience through different sources for the society.

As far as the role of media particularly that if the electronic media is concerned, things need a lot of revision and it is the moral responsibility of PEMRA to regulate a harmonious code of ethics for the anchors for the talk shows and writers working for various newspaper’s and channels.

Freedom of expression doesn’t mean yelling at whomever you like without the proof and evidence. There must be a system of strict check and balance on media people.

Pakistan is passing through a very critical phase of its history and our armed forces and other law enforcement agencies have lot of potential and abilities to cope with situation but they need a very strong moral support from the media and from the public. Without that support it would never be a plain sailing. Disfiguring and deforming of facts is also a cruel form of terrorism and terrorists never deserve any sympathy.

In my recent visit for the training program in USA, I observed foreign media is very friendly and keen to the new people from the other country, they like to interact and get to know more about what is happening in the world and also like to exchange ideas.

Unfortunately, Pakistan is a very hot topic for them because 9/11 series was the event that portrayed the wrong image of it. Considering Pakistani lens on the other side, there is nothing like that Pakistani promotes the happenings, the movies on their news channel like different TV channels and newspapers. When it comes to Pakistani events, statistically we have no many stories for example on the Guardian website.

Pakistan shows a great increment in stories that vary from 1,191 in 2000 and above in 2006. From such stories, larger number of stories started becoming the part of world section.

On the other hand, Pakistan warmly welcomes each of the politicians or any celebrities who visit Pakistan not even the landscape misrepresents the events of west.

Daily Times

There were a series of tough quiz rounds for participants about Pakistan, the movement for its creation, literature, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, eminent Pakistani nationals, science, history, geography, entertainment, sports, and social media. The organisers said the ‘Honehar Pakistan’ was a quiz competition for students, who had a drive to learn new things and take a break from traditional classroom learning.

They said the Jang Media Group was committed to the cause of education through the promotion of knowledge-based activities in the country in creative and innovative ways, so the ‘Honehar Pakistan Quiz Competition’ had been designed that made the process of learning fun and exciting.

The organisers said the Jang Media Group’s initiative was also meant to revive the quiz culture in schools, and test keenness or observation of students, a measure of smartness other than content.

They said there’re exciting gifts and prizes and nationwide recognition through newspapers, radio and TV for winners and runners-up, while the schools and teachers, who prepared and supporting students for the event would also be recognised at the platform.

The event for which the Jang Media Group had partnered with ‘Qarshi Jame Shireen’ and the Pakistan Quiz Society International was onboard is held countrywide. The participants also met the ‘Honehar’ mascot, who motivated them to be part of the competition and win the title of ‘Honehar Pakistan’.

The contest had two categories i.e. junior and senior and schoolchildren actively participated in both of them. The participants prepared for the competition from the Quiz Book given away to them and schools at the time of registration. The manual comprised 500-plus questions on different topics with answers.

Among the judges for senior category were writer, poet and chairman of the Department of Languages, Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, Dr. Abdullah Jan Abid, writer, poet and critic Manzar Naqvi, and Pakistan Quiz Society International president Wajid Raza Ispahani.

Poet, writer and critic Dr Inamul Haq Jawaid was the chief guest of the senior category competition. The first position in the category went to Noor Fatima of Roots Millennium Peshawar, second to Rameel Ikram of Shaheen Academy Chakwal and third to Malaika Mazhar of Sir Syed Public School Rawalpindi.

The chief guest of the junior round contest was national history and literary heritage secretary Dr Nadeem Shafiq Malik. The junior category winners included Soha Shehzad of the Links School Islamabad (first position); Zainab Fatima of Global System of Integrated Studies School Islamabad (second), and Syed Umais Kareem of Beacon House Mardan (third).

Dr Nadeem Shafiq said it was heartening to see a good initiative on part of the Jang Media Group to further the cause of learning in the country. He praised the young participants of the competition for their knowledge and talents.

The secretary said the event reminded him of an intellectually stimulating PTV quiz show from the olden times, ‘Kasauti,’ in which panelists identified hidden objects or persons by asking the host a limited number of questions, and the ‘Honehar Pakistan Quiz Competition’ appeared to be a very good initiative to revive that programme.

He announced Rs5,000 cash prizes for the participants, who stood second and third in the competition, from own pocket saying he considers them to be all winners. The other speakers also appreciated the holding of the quiz contest and said it would encourage students read more and more for knowledge.

They said the reading of books and newspapers promoted critical thinking, so the youths should go for it. The speakers said Pakistani youths were very talented and could do wonders if they’re provided with guidance and opportunities.

The speakers said Pakistani youths were very talented and could do wonders if they’re provided with guidance and opportunities. At the end of the event, Dr Nadeem Shafiq gave away certificates to the judges and winners, while Jang Media Group manager (events) Imran Zaman presented the event shield to him.

Last date for receiving applications:   Sunday January 5, 2020

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) invites applications for the 7th batch of PPF Investigative Reporting Fellowships.

The fellowships facilitate Pakistani journalists to produce investigative report that meet the professional, ethical and legal standards. PPF will provide support to journalists, to professionally investigate and report on issues relating to human rights, transparency, environment, inequity, governance and corruption.

The fellowships will include capacity building workshops as well as editorial and technical support.   Selected participants will work under the supervision of a senior journalist who will act as fellowship editor. Each fellow will be expected to produce up to six stories during this fellowship program.

Journalists with a minimum experience of three years working for print, television, radio and online media can apply for the fellowships.

The criteria for journalists from Baluchistan, FATA, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir may be relaxed for otherwise qualified applicants. Female journalists are encouraged to apply.

The duration of the fellowship is three months and the amount for the fellowship is sixty thousand rupees.

Completed application forms, in either English or Urdu, containing the following must be received by Sunday January 5, 2020 to be considered for the award of the fellowships.

• Fellowship application form
• Professional resume/CV
• Stories proposal form
• Links or clippings of at least three articles that were published or aired in the last three years.

Applications should be sent to fellowships@pakistanpressfoundation.org

For forms, click the link below;

Application form:

http://pakistanpressfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/PPF-Investigative-Reporting-Fellowship-Application-Form-English.docx

Story proposal form;

http://pakistanpressfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/PPF-Investigative-Reporting-Fellowship-Story-Proposal-Form-English.docx

Translation

پاکستان پریس فاؤنڈیشن (پی پی ایف) کی جانب سے فیلوشپ برائے تحقیقاتی رپورٹنگ  کے ساتویں بیچ کے لئے درخواستیں موصول کی جارہی ہیں۔

فیلوشپس میں صلاحیت سازی کے لیے ورکشاپس  کے انعقاد کے علاوہ ادارتی اور تکنیکی معاونت بھی فراہم کی جائے گی۔ منتخب امیدواروں کو سینئر صحافی کے ساتھ کام کرنے کا موقع ملے گا جو فیلوشپ کے دوران   پراجیکٹ  ایڈیٹرکاکردارادا کریں گے۔ فیلوشپ پروگرام کے دوران  ہر جرنلسٹ کو چھ رپورٹس تیار کرنا ہوں گی۔

پرنٹ، ٹیلی ویژن، ریڈیو اور آن لائن میڈیا میں کم از کم تین سال کا تجربہ رکھنے والے صحافی فیلوشپس کے لیے درخواستں جمع کروا نے کے اہل ہیں۔

بلخصوص بلوچستان، فاٹا، گلگت بلتستان اور آزاد کشمیر کے صحافیوں کو اہلیت کے معیار میں رعائیت دی جا سکتی ہے۔ خواتین   صحافیوں کی درخواست دینے کے لئے حوصلہ افزائی کی جاتی ہے۔

فیلوشپ پروگرام کا دورانیہ تین ماہ اور فیلوشپ پروگرام کا وظیفہ ساٹھ ہزار روپے ہے۔

فیلو شپ کے حصول کے لئے  ،انگریزی  یا اردو میں مکمل  شدہ  ،مندرجہ زیل دستاویزات کا 5 جنوری، 2020 کو شام 5:00 تک موصول ہونا ضروری ہے۔

(فیلوشپ درخواست فارم ( فارم کے لیئے کلک کریں

تعلیمی وپیشہ ورانہ کوائف / سی وی

(اسٹوریز پروپوزل فارم ( فارم کے لیئے کلک کریں

کم از کم تین مضامین کے لنک یا تراشے جو پچھلے بارہ ماہ میں شائع یا نشر کیے گئے۔

درخواستیں دیئے گئے ای میل اڈریس پر بھیجیئے؛

درخواستیں دیئے گئے ای میل اڈریس پر بھیجیئے؛

fellowships@pakistanpressfoundation.org

]]> http://pakistanpressfoundation.org/https-www-dawn-com-news-1523835-its-sairbeens-final-goodbye-after-51-years/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=https-www-dawn-com-news-1523835-its-sairbeens-final-goodbye-after-51-years Mon, 23 Dec 2019 11:58:56 +0000 https://www.pakistanpressfoundation.org/?p=97375 Continue reading "It’s Sairbeen’s final goodbye after 51 years"