PJSC-KP continues advocacy for legal framework to protect journalists

PESHAWAR, Aug 12 (APP):A meeting of the Pakistan Journalists Safety Coalition (PJSC)-KP chapter has decided to continue its advocacy for a legal framework to protect journalists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The meeting, chaired by the chapter’s chairperson Saiful Islam Safi, met here at Peshawar Press Club to discuss the meeting with Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi wherein he committed to taking the demand for legislation to combat impunity for crimes against journalists to the Legislative Assembly, said a press release issued here on Wednesday.

“It is imperative that the provincial government takes the journalists’ safety and issue of impunity seriously and concrete steps are taken to bring perpetrators of crimes to justice,” the meeting participants, including Peshawar Press Club President M. Riaz, President, Khyber Union of Journalists Kashifuddin, Executive Director, Freedom Network Iqbal Khattak, veteran journalists Shamim Shahid, Farzana Ali, Secretary  Parliamentary Reporters Association, Azhar Ali and Faridullah Khan, echoed.

Iqbal Khattak told the meeting that PJSC-federal chapter under Hamid Mir leadership wrote a letter to KP CM to take up the issue of impunity for crimes against journalists. “We need to keep the momentum for our genuine demand up,” he said.

It was decided that Peshawar Press Club and Khyber Union of Journalists with technical assistance from media watchdog Freedom Network would lead the advocacy campaign for one-point agenda, special legislation for serving three famous “Ps”, prevention, protection of prosecution to combat impunity for crimes against journalists in the province.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was the second dangerous province after Punjab in Freedom Network’s Q2 Threat Assessment Review Report covering April-June period with 14 percent threat cases reported from this province.