August 28, 2024
By Rehan Piracha
LAHORE:
The United Nations’ Committee to Eradicate Racial Discrimination (CERD) calls on Pakistan to expedite the establishment of an independent safety commission under the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act 2021.
The formation of this commission has been stalled for over two and a half years, raising concerns about the safety and protection of journalists in the country.
The UN committee’s recommendation comes in its concluding observations on Pakistan’s combined twenty-fourth to twenty-sixth periodic reports submitted on August 22. Recommendation 14(h) urges Pakistan to “bring into effect the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act 2021 by establishing an independent safety commission and supporting media pluralism and professionalism to ensure that minority voices are heard and represented fairly.”
Government stalling formation of safety commission
Afzal Butt, President of the Pakistan Federation of Union of Journalists (PFUJ), criticised the federal government for not framing the rules of the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act, enacted in December 2021. “A law cannot be enforced unless the government frames its rules,” adding that the formation of the safety commission does not appear to be a priority for the federal government.
“In a recent online meeting on the proposed Digital Media Rights Protections Authority, Federal Information Minister Ataullah Tarar assured journalists of expediting the establishment of the safety commission,” he told Voicepk.
Tariq Ali Virk, President of the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists, highlighted that the Sindh government had already formed a safety commission under its provincial journalists’ protection law. However, he added, “The federal government seems more focused on regulating social media than ensuring the safety and protection of traditional media professionals”.
Lack of government resolve
Iqbal Khattak, Executive Director of Freedom Network Pakistan, said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif initially promised that the formation of the safety commission would be a priority, “but there has been no follow-through.”
Criticising the government’s lack of resolve, he said that without the commission, the media safety law is effectively nullified, leaving journalists unprotected.
Khattak also pointed out the failure of the criminal justice system in delivering justice for slain journalists and their families.
Purpose of the media safety commission.
The federal government was tasked with establishing an independent commission for the protection of journalists and media professionals under the 2021 Act. The commission’s mandate includes investigating complaints related to threats, acts of torture, killings, violent attacks, forced disappearances, and arbitrary arrests of journalists. The commission would also be responsible for recommending measures to actively investigate, prosecute, and punish acts of violence and threats against journalists.
Media watchdogs have expressed concern over Pakistan’s failure to combat the rising impunity of crimes against journalists. The World Press Freedom Index 2024 ranks Pakistan as one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists, with nine journalists killed this year alone, marking it as one of the deadliest years for media professionals.
Pakistan’s ranking in the Index dropped two places to 152 out of 180 countries. The report by Reporters Without Borders describes Pakistan as “one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists”.