PESHAWAR, May 21: Speakers at a condolence reference on Saturday paid tribute to tribal journalist Nasrullah Afridi, who was killed in a bomb blast in Peshawar on May 10, and demanded of the government to approve a comprehensive package for journalists on the pattern of one being extended to families of policemen killed in terror incidents.

The tribal journalist belonging to Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency is survived by a widow and six children.

The reference was organised by Khyber Union of Journalists (KhUJ) in collaboration with the Peshawar Press Club, Tribal Union of Journalists (TUJ) and Safma, where Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists secretary general Ameen Yousuf was the chief guest.

Mr Yousuf criticised the low wages paid to media persons, saying that journalists had been compelled to work for extra hours while there had been no plan to solve their economic difficulties.

He asked the government to form an endowment fund with seed money of Rs100 million for journalists besides providing them facilities under the Employees Old Age Benefit Scheme and health and life insurance.

He promised that the PFUJ would take responsibility of affording expenditures of the family of the slain journalist. He hoped that Sindh High Court would announce its decision on Wage Board Award on May 31.

Demanding immediate inquiry into the killing of Mr Nasrullah, KhUJ president Arshad Aziz Malik said that journalists in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata had been facing life threats, but the government was reluctant to expose the criminals involved in killing of journalists.

KhUJ secretary general Yousuf Ali said that nine journalists had so far been killed in terrorist acts only in the Fata and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and still the government had no plan to secure lives of media persons.

PPC president Saiful Islam said that media persons should unite for resolution of their problems. He castigated both the government and media outlets for their failure to take effective steps for protection of journalists.

PFUJ assistant secretary general Khalid Khan presented a resolution, calling for an inquiry into the killing of the journalist and asked both the government and media owners to compensate the affected family.

Tribal Union of Journalists president Safdar Hayat said that tribal journalists had been facing threats and attacks on their houses and offices since 2004. He said that they had informed Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan about their problems, but they were yet to respond to their demands. He also asked the government for provision of residential plots and other facilities to the journalists.

Safma president Shamim Shahid said that people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were also human beings and doing their jobs, but the information minister was not ready to visit Peshawar at least to know about the sufferings of the KP people. He also asked the journalists to take care of themselves and avoid taking risks for collecting reports.

PFUJ finance secretary Arshad Yaseen said that the government had adopted mysterious silence over journalists’ problems and that was why unrest among the community was increasing.