Islamabad, July 27, 2006 —Pakistani officials have promised to review investigative records and reveal government information on the deaths of seven Pakistani journalists killed for their work since 2002, as well as official records in 20 other cases in which journalists have been assaulted or improperly detained.
The pledge came during meetings between a delegation from the Committee to Protect Journalists and Pakistani Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, Secretary of the Interior Syed Kamal Shah, and Northwest Frontier Gov. Ali Mohammed Jan Orekzai. The officials also pledged to establish a continuing dialogue with Pakistani journalist organizations and to assure them of government support for journalists' safety.
“We're pleased by these initial promises from Pakistani officials, but it's important to note that this is just a start in ensuring that journalists can cover sensitive issues without fearing for their lives,” said CPJ's Asia Program Coordinator Bob Dietz, a member of the delegation.
The CPJ delegation, which arrived in Islamabad on July 21, sought the meetings following the killings of freelance journalist Hayatullah Khan on June 16 in North Waziristan and Munir Ahmed Sangi, of the Kawish Television Network (KTN) on May 29 in Larkana. CPJ is concerned that eight journalists have been killed for their work in Pakistan since 2002. Only one of those cases—that of U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl—has been thoroughly investigated.
“The investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the murder of Wall Street Journal correspondent Daniel Pearl showed the government of Pakistan can perform well in combating crimes against journalists,” said delegation member David Marash, a CPJ board member and anchor for soon-to-be-launched Al-Jazeera International. “We have proposed several concrete steps that could ensure a similar level of performance in the cases of crimes against Pakistani journalists. We feel our ideas got a fair and sympathetic hearing from government officials, and we await the expression of that sympathy in appropriate actions.”
While Pakistan 's press is vibrant and growing, it has faced escalating threats in recent months, CPJ research shows. The CPJ delegation proposed that the government take the following steps to enhance the confidence of Pakistani journalists and the international community in the government's commitment to protect press freedom:
• Public recognition by the government that a crisis exists that threatens the lives of working journalists and the flow of accurate information to the Pakistani people.
• The quick creation of a special unit in the Interior Ministry to deal with crimes against journalists.
• Publication by this investigative unit of regular public reports reflecting its work on each case.
• Convening of public news conferences within a week of each report's publication so unit officials can address questions about the investigations.
• Creation of parallel structures in tribal territories to track crimes against journalists in those areas.
The CPJ delegation, which also included journalist Richard Murphy, met with members of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, the Tribal Union of Journalists, and other journalists to learn of the threats that media workers face from all sides. Journalists told the delegation they are often threatened by the groups they cover and that they fear retribution from the government, including illegal detentions and harassment. Many journalists also spoke of the lack of support they felt from the news organizations for which they work, saying the outlets are reluctant to confront the government when their reporters are arrested or detained.
Several recent cases have raised alarm about the safety of Pakistani journalists. Two television journalists—Geo TV correspondent Mukesh Rupeta and freelance cameraman Sanjay Kumar—were held in an undisclosed location for more than three months by the government before being charged under the Official Secrets Act and released on June 22. Authorities have told Pakistani journalists that they do not know the whereabouts of another journalist, Daily Kawish correspondent Mehruddin Mari, despite the fact that he was apparently detained by police in Sindh province on July 2.
“The commitments made by the government are a welcome first step,” Dietz said. “But we are concerned that cases of the late Hayatullah Khan and the missing Mehruddin Mehri—like those of other Pakistani journalists—have not been fully investigated or explained.”
The delegation is still seeking meetings with Minister of Information Mohammed Ali Durrani and government officials from North Waziristan with knowledge of the Hayatullah Khan case.
For a detailed accounting of deaths, detentions and assaults against journalists: http://www.cpj.org/news/2006/asia/pak26july06na.html#cases |
