Media role stressed in promoting rights

LAHORE

Participants in the meeting "Media and Human Women’s Rights: Issues and Challenges" on Thursday urged the media to play a more active and significant role in promoting human rights culture across all spectrum of society. 

Nearly 40 people representing the media world attended the meeting. Speaking at the occasion, Hussain Naqi, senior journalist and human rights activist from HRCP, said he was particularly concerned about the lack of information and awareness among the citizens of the country about their basic human rights, and said the media would do well to focus on this issue more actively. He spoke about the need for protecting gender rights, and making all sections of society more aware of what they were entitled to as per these rights under the Constitution of Pakistan 1973 and the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). As far as the protection of women’s rights was concerned, Fauzia Viqar, Chairperson, Punjab Commission on the Status of Women talked about gender based violence and the need for the country to take steps to reduce it. 

Salman Abid sought to define human rights culture and need for promoting it, and sensitising media persons towards human rights issues. The speakers urged the gathering to play a dynamic role to highlight gender issues, raise voice for women’s rights within the media, prevent stereotyping of women’s issues and to stop treating women negatively in the media as well as their exploitation in the name of obscenity. In his closing remarks MA Joseph Francis, made appeal to the media to verify facts related to a case or cases before reporting on them. 

Notices to Nadra, others 

The Lahore High Court on Thursday issued notices to Nadra Chairman, Secretary Education and Board of Intermediate & Secondary Education on a petition challenging mandatory condition of B-Form policy for students to sit in examination of class 9th.

Justice Shahid Waheed issued this order and adjourned hearing for May 2.

Tahir Khan, a student of class 9th, filed the petition and submitted that when a student appeared in examinations of class 5th and 8th there was no requirement of submission of B-Form, how it could impose the condition of B-Form when appearing in 9th class exam. —Correspondent