Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani on Monday said that the state had never acknowledged the sacrifices made by students, political activists and farmers that had kept Pakistani society intact.
Addressing a ceremony at National Press Club, Islamabad, to inaugurate a monument dedicated to the memory of slain journalists, he said earlier the monuments were constructed for the ones [soldiers] who had laid their lives on front-lines.
Lauding the sacrifices of journalists, he said that in a country with fragile institutions and chaotic politics, the role of journalists becomes more prominent.
In an apparent reference to onslaught at journalists who were critical of a certain institution, Rabbani said, “If attempts to control the society are made, neither will your institution remain nor will the parliament.”
He further pondered, “What bad will happen if a law for the protection of journalists is formed, as a law is already legislated but is it being executed?”
Rabbani also stressed upon the impartiality of law as he lamented the law in the country was implemented differently based on which segment of society a criminal belonged to.
He urged the institutions to remain within the constitutional limits, saying that it was the only way the country could avert an imminent disaster.
