Journalists’ safety to be ensured during polls: Solangi

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information Murtaza Solangi said the preparations for elections are at final stage and the government will ensure the safety of journalists during the elections.

Addressing a seminar titled “Violence Against Journalists, the Integrity of Elections, and the Role of Public Leadership,” the federal information minister said the media community will soon hear the good news regarding the formulation of council of complaints in PEMRA.

Solangi said it is the responsibility of the government and institutions to apprehend the killers of journalists Jan Muhammad.

During the event, the speakers demanded that public leaders and political parties must understand the importance of a safe environment for journalists during elections to ensure the integrity of elections.

According to UNESCO, 2024 will be a super-election year in which there will be 81 elections worldwide with an estimated 2.6 billion people participating in the elections. The occasion reinforces the coordinated response among mechanisms to the various threats to the right to freedom of expression.

The seminar brought together diverse stakeholders to discuss the challenges faced by journalists during elections, underscore the importance of public leadership in ensuring a safe media environment and raise awareness about impunity.

Afzal Butt, President of PFUJ, demanded theminister constitute the commission under Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act 2021. He reiterated the urgency of addressing threats against journalists during the election cycle, also calling on journalists to practise ethical journalism by focusing on real issues during the election period.

Muhammad Aftab Alam, Executive director of IRADA said the issue of journalists’ safety during the election is of vital importance. It is also relevant to the integrity of the elections so therefore all the public leaders and political parties must understand the importance of a safe environment for joining in the country to ensure the integrity of elections.