Sindh PA passes journalists’ protection bill

KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Friday unanimously passed the Sindh Protection of Journalists’ and other Media Practitioners’ Bill-2021 to provide an institutional mechanism to help journalists to discharge their professional duties without any threat or compulsion.

The bill was earlier introduced in the house on May 24 and was referred to the standing committee of the assembly on Law and Parliamentary Affairs for proper consideration. The report of the Standing Committee based on its consideration of the bill was presented in the house by Sindh Information and Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah.

The bill envisages due action against elements that obstruct the journalists from discharging their professional duties. The law provides that a journalist is not bound to divulge to anyone his or her sources of information for news reporting.

The bill contains the provision to establish a commission to ensure protection of journalists. The commission would receive complaints from the journalists against the incidents of harassment, threats against their lives, and intimidation while performing their duties.

It also contains the provision to punish the lawless elements harassing the media persons and threatening their lives. The law calls for preferential adjudication of the cases in courts related to attacks on the lives of journalists.

The house also passed an amendment to the bill proposed by Opposition legislator belonging to Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Khawaja Izharul Hassan, proposing that the government should bear the expenses required for providing legal assistance to a journalist whose life is threatened or endangered.

In his message after passage of the bill, Sindh Information Minister greeted the media persons and journalists on adoption of the bill meant to ensure their protection in the line of duty. He said that the Sindh government had undertaken a historical step by presenting a comprehensive bill meant to protect the journalists.

He said that due consultation had been held with the concerned senior journalists and the representative bodies of the media persons before preparing the new law. The provincial minister said that the newly-passed law fully reflected the vision of Chairman of Pakistan People’s Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.