Senators belonging to the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) have submitted “Journalists’ Protection and Welfare Bill 2011” in the Senate, which proposes safety measures to be taken for the protection of journalists, the establishment of a social security fund, provision of special facilities and establishment of a “National Journalist Council” for the timely resolution of the problems faced by journalists.
Financial aid to the families of journalists who were killed, injured, tortured or kidnapped during the course of their duties was also sought in the bill.
Giving details of the bill at a press conference on Saturday, JI’s Senator Prof Khurshid Ahmad said it was proposed in the bill that journalists should not be compelled to disclose their sources and if circumstances occurred where matters of national security were involved and the disclosure of a source was demanded, the Supreme Court have the sole authority to ask for the source, but it too would not make it public.
He said the bill proposed that the federal government make plans to build houses for journalists all over the country and until these facilities were provided, the government should provide interest-free loans to journalists on easy instalments to buy or build houses.
He said the JI’s Senators Prof Khurshid Ahmed, Prof Muhammad Ibrahim Khan and Aafia Zia had demanded through the proposed legislation that the federal government formally announce the provision of special concessions to journalists in fares of Pakistan Railway, Pakistan International Airlines and inter-city transport. Journalists should be given access to public places, including government-controlled places except top security military areas, for their professional work without any delay, whenever needed, for coverage in the public interest, the bill proposed.
The bill proposed further that the government entitle journalists and their immediate family to free medical treatment at government hospitals all over the country. The government should provide free education at all levels to the children of journalists and they should be encouraged with scholarships for higher studies, the bill proposed further.
In case a journalist felt threatened and needed protection, the SHO of the area where the journalist resided, or of any other area, should provide the required protection and security, the bill proposed.
The bill also proposed that a social security fund be established for journalists and in case of sudden death, the spouse, children and other dependants should get benefits from it as well as assistance with free education, including scholarships, and marriage assistance. If a journalist had taken a loan from the government, it should be waived automatically after his or her death.
The bill said the fund should insure every journalist in Pakistan who had a valid press card and their immediate family members through the state-owned State Life Insurance Company, on the basis of Takaful.
The bill stated that a National Journalist Council should be established to give proposals and programmes to the government for the protection of journalists during their duties. Every government department (federal or provincial) should assist the media to ensure their right to access to information in accordance with Article 19A of the constitution, including providing access to all unclassified information.
The government should ensure protection of and support to all women journalists against any type of harassment or discrimination in the performance of their duties, the bill proposed. The government should share costs with those media organisations who wanted to establish Day Care Centres for the children of journalists in or near their places of work.
According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the proposed bill, the journalists, who were the leading source of news and information for the people of Pakistan, were targeted and not accorded what they really deserved. “Due to the absence of a protection law, the journalists are tortured, harassed, killed or badly injured in the line of their duties. Over 70 journalists in Pakistan have so far been martyred in the line of duty since January 1, 2000 and over 2,000 attacked, injured, tortured, assaulted, kidnapped, arrested, harassed and/or intimidated in the same period. The killer of not even one Pakistani journalist killed so far has been arrested, prosecuted or punished,” said the statement.
