PESHAWAR, Dec 6: Doing journalism in Pakistan has become challenging due to the delicate security situation, said US Consul General in Peshawar Robert G Reed on Thursday.

During a visit to the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at University of Peshawar, Mr Reed said the field of journalism had gained more importance in the past decade as a consequence to the appetite for information among the people.

Public Affairs Officer of US Consulate Tammy Paltchikov, who was also in attendance, said the US had provided $10,000 for the renovation of Lincoln’s Corner at the university’s Central Library and that work on it would begin soon.

During a meeting, UoP vice chancellor Professor Qibla Ayaz informed the visitors that the management regularly informed students of the university about the prevailing law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the region.

He said the university was host to around 2,000 Fata students and offered admission to Afghans applicants in various disciplines at normal fee.

Professor Qibla said production of a sacrilegious movie in the US had hurt the religious sentiments of Muslims around the world, including the UoP students.

He said winning the hearts and minds of local population was the main challenge that the US was confronted with in the fight against terrorism.

The vice chancellor said University of Peshawar was focusing on the promotion of co-curricular activities on campus.

He said to ease trauma of those coming in from troubled areas, the university had begun special diploma courses in clinical psychology so that professionals could be produced in the field to work in the terrorism-affected areas.

The visitors later visited the campus radio station and Peshawar University Broadcasting Academy at the journalism and mass communication department.