ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhary on Monday said the government regarded the freedom of the press as a “fundamental, democratic and constitutional right” and was committed to safeguarding it.
The statement came on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day marked on May 3 to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom, to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence, and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.
In his statement, Chaudhry stressed that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government considered press freedom as a fundamental, democratic and constitutional right.
“There is no concept of media censorship in the country,” he asserted. “Media in Pakistan enjoys unprecedented freedom. The government neither believes nor practices any press advice. Rather, it encourages self-regulation by the media.”
The minister further said that the government was taking all possible measures to create a congenial environment for journalists to perform their professional obligations.
“The steps undertaken to ensure welfare and security of the journalists and media workers include the 8th Wage Board Award and the establishment of Information Commission,” he said.
In 2020, Pakistan ranked ninth on the Committee to Protect Journalists’ (CPJ) annual Global Impunity Index, which assesses countries where journalists are murdered regularly and their killers go free. According to the CPJ, Bangladesh, Russia, and India are ahead of Pakistan.
Chaudhry said the information ministry fully supported the idea of the Journalist Protection Act which would go a long way in ensuring the safety and security of the journalist community.
“We are also keen to equip the media with modern technologies and improve the human resource,” the minister maintained.
“The working journalists under certain criteria will be accommodated in the Prime Minister’s Housing Scheme,” he said.
“The government is also contemplating to award health cards to the journalists to enable them to avail healthcare facilities for themselves and their families.”
Chaudhry assured that the government would continue to facilitate the growth of free and responsible press and ensure the safety and security of the working journalists.
Meanwhile, in his tweets, he paid tributes to those journalists who laid down their lives in the line of duty.
“Journalists in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Palestine, and other areas go through daily hardships to write the truth,” he pointed out.
It is part of this government’s agenda to introduce new media technologies and new projects would also be brought this year especially for the young journalists.
