South Asia mourned 22 journalists’ death in 2013, killed in connection with their work as Pakistan again topped the death tally with 10 journalists, followed by India, 8, Afghanistan, 3 and Bangladesh, 1.
A year end media freedom roundup issued by South Asia Media Commission, a media rights watchdog, simultaneously working in the capitals of all the member countries of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), noted with dismay that violence against media personnel with impunity continued to remain a major threat to media freedom.
“Unpunished crimes are jeering at major democracies of the region and depriving their people of the right to information. And so, fear is deeply entrenching in families of those killed and in societies,” said the SAMC report for 2013.
As many as 10 journalists were killed in Pakistan in the year 2013, earning the country the tag of being one of the world’s deadliest five countries for media personnel. Journalists in Balochistan and the tribal areas were mainly the targets of intimidation and violence with impunity sustaining the climate of terror.
Those killed during the year 2013 were:; Ayub Khan Khattak, 42, a reporter of Karak Times; Balochistan-based Haji Abdul Razzak; Ahmed Ali Joiya, a reporter in Bahawalnagar district; Salik Ali Jafri, a GEO news journalist; Tariq Aslam from Daily Pakistan; Mehmood Ahmed Afridi from Daily Intikhab; Malik Mumtaz from Jang Group; Imran Shaikh and Saif ur Rehman working for Samaa TV; and Muhammad Iqbal from NNI News Agency.
A major section of media in South Asia, more so in India than in Pakistan, remained indulged in conflict insensitive journalism and in doing so, put pressure on the governments of the two countries to go for war rather than peace.
Other factors having a bearing on media freedom and quality journalism in the region were intolerance for diverse viewpoints as edicts and threats were hurled at the media.
LAYOFFS AND WORKING CONDITIONS
There have been huge layoffs causing livelihood anxieties for journalists in the running year. Journalists still struggle for fair wages and decent working conditions. In India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal principally, established laws on the protection of living standards are being breached with little or no consequence at all.
The SAMC called on the governments of South Asian countries to address the issue of violence against the media by bringing perpetrators of past crimes to justice.
Media freedom in Pakistan during 2013 also remained constrained by the high level of violence against media outlets and their personnel including Express, Independent News Pakistan (INP), Tawar and Dawn.