CPNE for finalising measures on media safety

KARACHI: The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) Media Safety and Defence Task Force meeting was held on Thursday under the supervision of the Chairman Ikram Majeed Sehgal.

The meeting expressed concern over the attacks on media houses, media professionals and situation of insecurity and recommended to finalise the measures taking regarding media safety.

It decided that the CPNE would hold Pakistan Media Safety Summit. Interior ministers of four provinces, representatives of various security agencies along with senior media professionals would be invited in the proposed summit so that joint strategy could be evolved for the protection of media houses and media professionals across the country.

It was also decided that in case of attack on any journalist, media houses or threats, all newspapers and TV channels would cover it simultaneously. In this regard a joint liason committee would be constituted with the close collaboration of Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA).

The meeting decided that managements of all the media houses would be requested to highlight the name of journalist or media person or media house in case of any attack and avoid to write a private media house so that mastermind of attack would be conveyed the message that attack on one media person would be considered the attack on entire community.

Chairman Ikram Majeed Sehgal told the editors that professional security Survey of three media houses have been conducted free of cost and the survey of remaining media houses would be conducted free of cost and professional training would be given to  security staff  of media houses.

He further said that training session for security staff of media houses would be conducted adding that our institution has arranged training workshop regarding safety and security in various cities of the country including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and Quetta so that maximum media related individual could utilise this initiative.

He further said that meeting that due to our outstanding attempts media houses were not utilising our this initiative regarding safety and security, however it was his keen desire that media houses should form their security plan so that the managements of the media houses could identify their mistakes regarding security of the individuals.

On this, Ejaz-ul-Haq, the Express Group told the meeting that how his organisation was targeted at different timings and in various cities. Amir Mehmood, Dr. Jabbar Khattak, Sadiq Baloch, Ejaz-ul-Haq, Hamid Hussain Abidi, Abdul Khaliq Marshall, Mubassir Mir and others attended the meeting.