Stakeholders including media body representatives, government officials, police, lawyers, civil society representatives, political and social figures, raised concern about the limited awareness of the Sindh Protection of Journalists and Other Media Practitioners Act, 2021.
A roundtable consultation on the effective implementation of the provincial media safety law was held at Gym Khana Club Sanghar on July 23, organised by the Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), in collaboration with the Commonwealth Foundation. The consultation was facilitated by Advocate High Court Muhammad Hassan Pathan.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Sanghar Mukhtar Ahmed Memon said police received complaints regarding harassment of journalists and dealt with them according to the law. He appreciated PPF’s awareness initiative and announced that copies of the Act would be kept at police stations across the district.
The consultation focused on building stakeholders’ understanding of the Act, its rules and the Sindh Commission, clarifying the roles of relevant stakeholders and discussing challenges to journalists’ safety in the province. The participants received a detailed overview of the media safety law and its protections for journalists, the role and status of the Commission and the procedure to file a complaint under the law.
Sanghar Press Club former president and senior journalist Anjum Aftab Nizamani noted that the press club had not previously even received a copy of the law. Participants welcomed the detailed information provided by PPF and stressed the importance of taking awareness of the law to the grassroots level.
Nizamani further added that journalists’ safety was essential for a strong democratic society and stressed that legislation must be effectively implemented.
Participants also discussed the need for stronger implementation mechanisms. The legal fraternity suggested introducing specific provisions under the journalists’ protection law for crimes against journalists, rather than relying solely on provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code. A district-level watchdog group was recommended to monitor implementation, while media representatives called for district-level representation in the Commission and urged media owners to provide journalists with insurance and training.
Advocate Sunil Kumar and Advocate Shehryar Ali said Pakistan had good legislation but that poor implementation remained a major challenge, while offering legal assistance to journalists in Sanghar.
Participants also identified the absence of a mechanism for systematic data collection on attacks against journalists as an important concern.
Women’s rights activists stressed the need for female representation in the Commission. Participants also called for political party workers to be trained to respect media professionals and for political parties to clearly reject violence against journalists.
The consultation concluded with stakeholders gaining a greater understanding of the Act and its Commission and sharing recommendations for its effective implementation.
