Senate reaffirms commitment to freedom of press

The Upper House of Parliament Friday passed a unanimous resolution, reaffirming its strong commitment to freedom of press and expression, calling it crucial for rule of law and strengthening of democracy in the country.
The resolution, moved by Leader of the House in Senate Shibli Faraz in connection with World Press Freedom Day, reiterated that access to transparent and reliable information is the cornerstone for building fair and impartial institutions, holding leaders accountable and speaking truth to power.
The resolution which was unanimously adopted by the House recognised the fundamental human right of press freedom and paid tribute to journalists, editors and publishers who risk their lives in defence of masses' right to know.
The lawmakers saluted the media martyrs who laid down their lives in the line of duty and affirmed its complete solidarity and support to the media workers in their just struggle for security of life and service so they can perform their professional duties without any hindrance or constraints.
Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani, who was presiding over the session, said that Senate pays tributes to the services of journalists who played a very important role for the uplift of the country through pointing out wrongdoings and flaws in the system. He also asked the government to fulfil its responsibility regarding addressing the problems being faced by the media workers.
Speaking on the occasion, Faraz said that World Press Freedom Day is not only an important day but it is also equally important for all democratic forces in the country. He said that the role of media, especially local media, has a history of playing well in strengthening of democracy.
He said that breaking the two-party system in the country could not have impossible without support of media and it is the vibrant media due to which Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) emerged the as the largest political party in 2018 general elections.
He proposed legislation to ensure life and job security of journalists, adding, "We the lawmakers here in this House should sit down to put in place a mechanism for the security of journalists."
Senator Raza Rabbani said that Article 19 of the Constitution gives freedom of speech and expression to every citizen and grants independence of media. He said that in martial law regimes, the journalists had to face lots of hardships and even today a similar situation is going on."
"A new trend of missing news has also been started after missing persons, as journalists and media owners are getting threatening calls from unknown numbers. Today, political parties are not allowed to hold pressers outside press clubs...given the situation, the Parliament should play its due role," he added.
Senator Sherry Rehman, who is also a former journalist, said: "Now, more than ever, we need to protect press freedom from tyrannical tactics aimed to gag the public access to the truth or portray the media as enemy of the public and the state."
She said that the level of press freedom in Pakistan is still continuously threatened, adding it is lawmakers' responsibility as citizens of Pakistan to hold the line and protect this very important pillar of democracy.
"We have come too far in our struggle to give up now. It is alarming that Pakistan, a fragile democracy that could use the transparency and fairness free media offers, is currently the 4th most dangerous country for media," said Sherry.
Senator Usman Kakar of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami party (PkMAP) said that media workers are facing threats and pressures at a time when there is a democratically elected government, which is quite shameful.
Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, who is a former journalist, said that Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah who was the founder of two main newspapers, once said: "Certainly, criticise fearlessly when a wrong thing is done. I welcome criticism, but it must be honest and constructive."
Senator Rubina Khalid said that media workers are going through a very difficult time, for which the Parliament should play its due role, adding the near and dear ones of the journalist should be given some compensation by the state in case of death in line of duty.
Senator Mushtaq Ahmed said that there is no second opinion that if the teething democracy is seen functioning in the country for quite long, it is because of press freedom, or else things could have been different.