Free press can not survive without free judiciary: Hamid Mir

KARACHI: Pakistan cannot survive without strong democracy, strong democracy cannot survive without free media, and free media cannot survive without independent judiciary.

Journalist Hamid Mir said this during a seminar titled ‘Media and Democracy: An Essential Partnership’ at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) on Friday.

The seminar was organised by the IBA’s Centre for Excellence in Journalism in collaboration with Free Press Unlimited. The event brought together journalists to discuss the critical role that media played in sustaining and enhancing democratic values.

In his keynote speech, Dr S Akbar Zaidi, IBA executive director, laid emphasis on the importance of free media, calling it a fundamental component of democracy. He said, “Democracy requires a free and transparent media where journalists and reporters can speak the truth to those who hold power and public office.”

All elected and unelected representatives of the people should be held accountable for their actions, he said, adding that free media was a prerequisite and essential component of democracy.

Lamenting the ‘stifled and muzzled’ state of media in Pakistan where journalists were not free to report what they saw, he said, “Unless the media is free, there can be no democracy in Pakistan. This is non-negotiable.”

Adil Jawad highlighted the rampant impunity in cases of journalist murders, pointing out that it was ‘the absolute norm in Pakistan’. He added: “As journalist murders and impunity continue apace, willing actors that are committed to fighting impunity are not planning to sit by idle.”