To address attacks on the media, stakeholders were encouraged to report attacks to the Sindh Commission for the Protection of Journalists and Other Media Practitioners, collect data on incidents against journalists and advocate for effective implementation of media safety laws.
A roundtable consultation on the effective implementation of the Sindh Protection of Journalists and Other Media Practitioners Act, 2021 was held at Sukkur Press Club on July 20, organised by the Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), in collaboration with the Commonwealth Foundation.
The consultation, facilitated by Advocate High Court Muhammad Hassan Pathan, brought together journalists, media unions, government officials, police, political representatives, lawyers, civil society and other stakeholders and emphasised a need to strengthen coordination amongst the government, law enforcement, media and civil society institutions.
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.
While most participants were aware of the law, they acknowledged having limited knowledge of the Commission’s functioning.
Participants raised concerns about how the Commission, based in Karachi, could effectively respond to journalists facing threats in remote areas of Sindh. They were informed about district-level information department structures and networks of civil society organisations and media bodies that could facilitate access to the Commission.
The discussion also highlighted the absence of a systematic mechanism for documenting attacks against journalists in the Sukkur division. Media unions have organised protests and other actions following attacks, including demonstrations over the murder of senior journalist Jan Muhammad Mahar in August 2024, but such activities have not been systematically documented.
Former Sukkur District Bar Association president Advocate Sundar Khan Chachar suggested that the law should contain specific provisions dealing with attacks against journalists, in addition to provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sukkur Azhar Khan Mughal responded that PPC provisions were already included in the schedule of the law. The suggestion was noted for consideration, with participants observing that legislation can be amended and strengthened over time.
Women and human rights activist Ghazala Anjum called for greater women’s representation in the Sindh Commission, while SSP Sukkur recommended that copies of the law be provided to district headquarters to improve awareness and implementation.
The consultation also urged political parties to sensitise their workers about respecting media professionals and to clearly reject violence against journalists.
The consultation concluded that effective implementation of the provincial media safety law requires continued engagement among all stakeholders.
