[ad_1]
Murtaza Javed Abbasi, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, informed the Senate on Friday that 42 journalists had been killed in the country over the past four years, Dawn of Pakistan reported.
According to the Ministry of Information, 15 of the journalists were from Punjab, 11 from Sindh, 13 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and three from Balochistan. These journalists were either shot, attacked or killed by terrorists.
Seven suspects were arrested in Punjab, two of whom are currently out on bail, the data showed. Five of the seven arrested are on trial, while eight suspects are at large. One defendant has been released by the court.
Four suspects were arrested in Sindh province and seven are on trial.
Two suspects in KP were acquitted, four face trial and one suspect is at large. Two suspects are at large in Balochistan, one is on trial, one has been sentenced and the other is under investigation.
Speaking in the Senate, Mushtaq Ahmed of the Jamaat-i-Islami party said the federal and provincial governments had failed to protect journalists. “Arshad Sharif will not be martyred” if the criminal is caught, he said, according to the Dawn newspaper.
Responding to Ahmed, Abbasi said it was a “critical situation” and the government should act quickly against the perpetrators and provide special security for journalists.
He directed Pakistan’s home and information ministries to prepare a comprehensive report on the matter and submit it to the House of Representatives within two months.
Meanwhile, Dawn reported that BJP senator Danesh Kumar noted that more than a dozen journalists had been killed in the province, not the three indicated in the document.
In his reply, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs said that the report had been prepared after consultation with all concerned and that if someone gave wrong figures “he must be held accountable because it is a sensitive issue”.
The situation of women working as journalists in this South Asian country has been no secret to the world recently as the media reported that gender pay gap, gender bias and unfair treatment of female employees are widespread issues in Pakistan.
Pakistan consistently ranks low on the freedom of expression index, even in the online space. Women are especially vulnerable to harassment and abuse. Due to Pakistan’s strict patriarchal social norms, female journalists are more vulnerable to violence and threats. (Arnie)
[ad_2]
Source link