Top Journalists Welcome Media Protection Bill

Renowned journalists and media associations' leaders Tuesday widely welcomed the 'Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Bill-2021' terming it a great step towards well-being of the media community

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Nov, 2021 ) :Renowned journalists and media associations' leaders Tuesday widely welcomed the 'Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Bill-2021' terming it a great step towards well-being of the media community.

Talking to APP here, the Lahore Press Club (LPC) President Arshad Ansari, Photo Journalists Association President Muhammad Iqbal Chaudhry, Punjab Assembly Press Gallery President Afzaal Tablib, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) Treasurer Zulfiqar Mehto and other renowned journalists appreciated the present government for this landmark achievement.

LPC President Arshad Ansari said that first time in the history of Pakistan, the journalists' rights had been recognized and regularized by the PTI government. He said that journalists community had since long been deprived of its due rights for which he and other media associations' leaders had been striving hard to secure rights of their community members. "Media community takes this bill positively," he remarked.

Ansari also admitted that the present government had made serious efforts for passing journalists-specific bill in the National Assembly and Senate. The LPC President also acknowledged the efforts of Federal Information Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain and Minister for Human Rights Dr. Shireen Mazari for formulation and passage of the media protection bill. He however called for removing some lacunas in the bill.

He hoped the government and media houses would ensure implementation of the protection bill for journalists and media professionals.

Photo Journalists Association President Muhammad Iqbal Chaudhry termed the bill a great relief for the media community, adding that it would promote freedom of speech as well as sense of security among the journalists and other media workers while performing their professional tasks.

Punjab Assembly Press Gallery President Afzal Tablib also termed the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Bill-2021 featuring freedom of expression, media persons' job security and other professional matters however, he called for implementation on the bill in letter and spirit so as to pass the complete benefits of the bill on to the journalists and media workers. He added that effective and practical measures must be taken so that no media houses owners stop or delay salaries of their respective journalists and other workers.

Afzaal Talib also appreciated the formation of an independent commission for protections of journalists rights.

PFUJ Treasurer Zulfiqar Mehtu welcomed the bill but pointed out that journalists and media professional categories in the bill were needed to be revisited, explaining that editors/sub-editors and photo journalistsand videographers were placed in the non-journalist/media professional category.