Source: Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)
Although, the government, in consultation with the RIUJ, began working on the Draft Journalists Welfare and Protection Bill 2017, the proposed draft still hangs in the balance. Since December 2017, no development has been made on the proposed bill.
Some important points of the final draft are as follows:
All media owners shall provide life insurance to all the field employees, including reporters, cameramen, photographers, DSNG staff and drivers.
In case of a national calamity, eruption of fire, accidents, natural disasters, bomb blasts or active armed conflicts, employers shall provide journalists all allied facilities during coverage, such as bullet-proof jackets, helmets and other related safety equipment, especially in emergency situations.
At the time of the renewal of a TV channel licence from the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) and renewal declaration, media organisations shall produce health/life insurance certificates and the last month salary certificates of its employees to the concerned authority.
Media owners, in collaboration with the relevant provincial/federal government, shall provide free education up to 14 years of study to the children of deceased /martyred journalists.
The family, or as the case may be, the children of a deceased /martyred journalist shall be entitled to suitable compensation from the Journalist Endowment Fund (JEF).
Registered journalists, as defined in Section-1(4), shall be eligible for entitlement to the benefits of the Prime Minister’s Healthcare Card Scheme for their individual self and family.
Zeb, who was part of the media consultative committee working on the proposed draft, believes that the proposed bill would be a great help to ensure the safety and security of journalists. The journalists’ consultative committee had also recommended the government provide government prosecutors to journalists and their families to deal with legal matters.
A senior official of the Pakistan Press Information Department, on condition of anonymity, confesses that no progress has been made on the proposed bill since December 2017. Despite consensus over the proposed draft, the bill could not be moved for approval. The PML-N government had initiated work on the proposed bill and senior PPP leader Farhatullah Babar and PML-N spokesperson Maryam Aurangzeb were among the parliamentarians who were working on the proposed bill. The JEF was announced by former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to provide free-of-cost health and other basic facilities to journalists and their families. However, this remained a verbal announcement and no funds were ever allocated. Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists President Afzal Butt says that since the current government has come into power, instead of the pending issues being resolved, the journalist community has, in fact, faced even further financial crises.
ROOT CAUSES
So why is there so much apathy about clearly pressing issues of life and death?
One of the root causes, some believe, is because journalism is being executed as strictly a business enterprise. Business tycoons often set up media outlets in order to protect their other commercial interests, instead of to support journalists, good journalism and democracy. “The mushroom growth of media outlets, more space for unprofessional journalism and the control of media organisations in the hands of unprofessional owners and editorial staff are some important factors that contribute to the current state of media in this country,” says Bukhari. Due to a conflict of interest, media houses cannot afford investigative journalism because they are working as lobbyists of various political and non-political forces, according to Bukhari. If they do hold officials accountable, they would lose their businesses and might be targeted as well, he says.
This friction, in effect, cripples the core of journalism. When a journalist has the courage to do a story on an issue considered sensitive, his/her story is often held back by the management citing pressures. Such pressures have affected the state of investigative journalism in Pakistan.
Senior journalist Shahzeb Jillani feels reporters cannot be considered simply as assets or liabilities to an organisation. They have a crucial function in democratic societies: to inform, educate and hold those in power accountable. When journalists are harassed, threatened or killed, it reflects a breakdown of law and order, he says. “It shows the state’s failure in protecting its citizens and those exposing abuse of power and authority.”
Jillani has himself been a victim of ‘unannounced censorship.’ He was implicated in a case for making remarks against the “invisible security forces of the country.” Instead of protecting Jillani, however, his television employer sacked him, following alleged behind-the-scenes pressure. Later, a local court in Karachi quashed the case against Jillani due to a lack of evidence.
There is no doubt that media practitioners have been facing a great number of challenges since long in this country. The recent stifling of freedom of speech has compounded the challenges Pakistan’s media environment is mired in. This is the time for journalists’ representatives to set aside all their vested interests and political or ideological differences, and to unite under the guidance of veteran journalists. They must avail every available forum against state censorship and knock on the doors of the Supreme Court to ensure themselves not only the freedom to carry out their jobs, but also the safety of their lives when performing their duties as journalists. Failing this, journalists should be prepared for continued victimisation at the hands of the state or non-state actors. And for their families to be denied justice, like Javed Khan.
The writer is an investigative journalist based in Islamabad & a PhD aspirant. She tweets @shizrehman
“THOSE WHO WISH TO TAKE UP MEDIA AS A PROFESSION NEED TO BE PREPARED FOR ALL KINDS OF RISKS” —Muhammad Ziauddin, veteran journalist