The Lower House mandated the Speaker to constitute a committee to investigate the issue of threatening messages received by journalists and fix responsibility. The House gave the mandate to the Speaker by passing a motion unanimously to constitute a Special Committee of the Parliament to probe the issue.
The motion to this effect was moved by Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khurshid Ahmad Shah, which was adopted unanimously. The committee will submit its report within fifteen days. The committee would comprise members from treasury and opposition benches headed by leader of the opposition or his nominee to probe threatening messages sent to journalist Hamid Mir. After nominations by political parties, the names of members of the committee would be finalised.
In this regard, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani also supported the Committee to probe the threats to senior journalists. Earlier, raising the issue on a point of order, PPP leader Nadeem Afzal Gondal said despite a democratic set-up in the country, journalists were receiving life threats for speaking the truth. He expressed concern over threats to journalist Hamid Mir and demanded an inquiry by parliament into the matter.
Javed Hashmi of the PML-N supported the idea and said that it was a very important issue as such incidents earned a bad name for the country. Several journalists have lost their lives in the recent past but no inquiry has been conducted, he added.
Leader of the Opposition Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan said that the opposition had raised the issue of murdered journalists and threats to journalists several times in the House. He maintained that had the government probed maltreatment incident against Umar Cheema, another journalist, and culprits involved in that incident had been taken to task, this current incident would have not been happened. He said that media was an important tool of an independent parliament to convey its message to the public.
The opposition leader also told the House that some nine months back, he had also received threats through messages on his cell phone and after investigation by Punjab government it was revealed that some intelligence agencies officials were involved.
The opposition leader said that Parliament should stand with media. He said that independent media is very necessary to strengthen the democratic system. Khurshid Shah agreed with motion of Chaudhry Nisar and said it was regrettable that in a democratic and parliamentary system, journalists were being harassed and threatened. They were threatened because they spoke the truth, he added.
The minister proposed a parliamentary committee to investigate the matter. PPP lawmaker, Syed Sumsam Bokhari also voiced concern and said that journalists were receiving threatening messages. He said if the parliamentarians did not support media persons in this hour it would mean that they were not supporting democracy. Riaz Hussain Pirzada of PML-Q also demanded that those behind the matter be brought to justice. MQM's Abdul Qadir Khanzada also condemned the incident.
Earlier, Parliamentary reporters staged walk out from the Press gallery of the National Assembly in protest against threats to the journalists. Later, Interior Minister Rehman Malik came and assured the journalists that every step would be taken to ensure their safety.