Media freedoms, political freedoms, free & fair elections in level playing field interlinked
Liaquat Ali
Islamabad: President Human Rights Cell of PPP former Senator Farhatullah Babar has said that independence of media is linked with independence of politics and political parties which in turn depended on free and fair elections in a level playing field for all parties.
“If politics, peoples’ mandate and electoral choices of the people continue to be manipulated at the time of elections early next year as in the past there will be no hope for a free and independent media,” he said.
He said while addressing a moot in the National Press Club Islamabad on the eve of international day to end impunity of crimes against journalists on November 2.
He said that the day this year is being observed just when the Supreme Court had started hearing in the Nov 2017 Faizabad dharna case to find out who were the elements behind it that seemed designed to chase out an elected government.
The Court at that time had pointed towards ‘nebulous tactics’ to manipulate media, he said. Exposing elements behind the “nebulous tactics” will serve as deterrence for potential manipulators and urged the journalists and civil society to assist the apex Court in exposing those elements.
He said that Pakistan is among the top ten countries in the world declared most dangerous for journalists. Between 2012 and 2022 as many as 53 journalists were killed but in only two cases convictions were awarded. It means that 96% of cases the victims did not get justice.
He said that Pakistan signed and ratified the UN Plan of Action in 2013 to end impunity.
SDG 16.10.1 obligates Pakistan to report number of verified cases of killing, kidnapping, arbitrary detentions, torture of journalists, trade unionist, HR defenders during the past 12 months. Pakistan has also committed to submit to the UN Voluntary National Report every year containing data on crimes against journalists.
He said that the 2021 legislation on safety and security of journalists had not yet been operationalised as the Commission under it had still not been set up and demanded that it be set up without delay.
