“The sacrifices of journalists prove their dedication and loyalty to the country,” Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf President Javed Hashmi said on Monday.
He was talking to the members of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists.
He said independent media was the pride of the nation. He said free media was a voice against oppression and tyranny. “It is a sad truth that Pakistan is an unsafe country for journalists. This is why journalists should be supported and protected,” he said. He said it was important to allow journalists a secure space. “If we do not allow freedom of expression, many tragedies will go unreported,” he said. He offered prayers for Express News staffers killed in a recent attack.
“The PTI believes in independence of all pillars of the state working within their limits. Freedom of the media is essential to maintain a balance between all state institutions,” he said.“I salute services of journalists and their sacrifice, dedication and loyalty to their profession,” he added.
Ali Imran Suharwardy, a Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists representative, said it easy to criticise journalists for their work but no one understood the pressure on them.He said journalists exposed corruption, racial and sectarian tensions, political corruption and bad governance.
He criticised the team constituted by the government to probe killings of journalists.
He said the government had miserable failed to protect citizens of the country due to its “dictatorial ideology.”
“The government will probably revive black laws on the media because it cannot afford criticism,” he predicted.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 28th, 2014.