KUJ to send its recommendations to government this month

Journalists want NA and Senate to pass the bill soon

The Karachi Union of Journalists organised a discussion on the Journalists Welfare and Protection Bill, 2016, on Wednesday and prepared its recommendations and suggestions for incorporation in the proposed law that would be sent to the federal government this month.

The discussion session was organised at the Karachi Press Club and attended by senior journalists, current and former office-bearers of the KUJ as well as the Pakistan Federal Union Journalists, the Karachi Press Club, the All Pakistan Newspaper Employees Confederation (Apnec), associations working for the welfare of media personnel and teachers affiliated with the mass communication departments of universities.

The discussion was held by the KUJ in collaboration with the federal information ministry.

The participants of the discussion appreciated that the government had chalked out the draft of a law meant for the welfare and security of journalists and described the legislation as the need for the hour given the threats faced by media personnel.

Some participants also raised their objections over some clauses of the bill. However, they all agreed that the bill needed to be passed into law by the National Assembly and the Senate as soon as possible.

The participants of the discussion included PFUJ former presidents Mazhar Abbas and Afzal Butt, former general secretary Khurshed Abbasi, KPC secretary Maqsood Yousafi, KUJ president Hasan Mansoor, senior vice president Shamim Bano, general secretary Faheem Siddiqui, Apnec leader Shafiuddin Ashraf, Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology department of mass communication’s former head Professor Tauseef Ahmed Khan, PPF’s Owais Alsma, Fauzia Shaheen of the Women Media Centre and senior journalists Khursheed Tanveer, Ayub Jan Sirhindi, Akram Khan and Naseer Ahmed.