UK-Based Senior Pakistani Journalist Praises RMNP’s 22-Year Advocacy for Rural Journalists
Says Freedom of the Press in Britain Carries Legal Responsibility While District Correspondents in Pakistan Continue to Work Without Salaries, Insurance or Professional Protection
BAHAWALPUR: Senior London-based Pakistani journalist, author and poet Faizan Arif has praised the 22-year contribution of the Rural Media Network Pakistan (RMNP) towards promoting professional journalism and defending the rights of district correspondents, while expressing serious concern over the working conditions of rural journalists in Pakistan.
Speaking with Ehsan Ahmed Sehar, President of Rural Media Network Pakistan (RMNP), during a meeting in Bahawalpur, Faizan Arif said that freedom of expression and freedom of the press are firmly protected under British law, but emphasized that these freedoms do not extend to irresponsible or defamatory journalism.
Referring to recent legal developments, he noted that a British court imposed a substantial financial penalty on Pakistani YouTuber Adil Raja over defamatory content. He also recalled that in 1997, the Sunday newspaper News of the World was ordered to pay £100,000 in damages after publishing a false story concerning Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar, who later served as Governor of Punjab, Pakistan.
British Media Protect Journalists as Professionals
Drawing a comparison between British and Pakistani media practices, Faizan Arif said it would be inconceivable for media organizations in the United Kingdom to obtain journalistic services without proper remuneration. He explained that journalists and media workers are employed on salaried positions with clearly defined professional rights and that even freelance or short-term assignments undertaken abroad are duly compensated.
Commenting on workforce restructuring at the BBC, he observed that employees affected by downsizing receive generous compensation packages that often enable them to establish their own businesses or pursue new professional opportunities.
Rural Journalists in Pakistan Face Difficult Conditions
Expressing concern over the situation in Pakistan, Faizan Arif said the plight of district correspondents and rural journalists remains alarming, particularly in regions where nearly 65 percent of Pakistan’s population resides. He observed that many district correspondents continue to work without salaries, insurance, professional training or employment security despite making significant contributions to newspaper circulation and news gathering.
He appreciated RMNP’s sustained efforts over the past 22 years to strengthen professional journalism in remote and underserved regions. He particularly commended the network for organizing training programmes for journalists working in districts affected by feudal influence or extremism and for consistently bringing incidents involving the killing, torture, detention and arrest of district correspondents to the attention of international organizations working for press freedom and journalists’ rights.
Research on Bahawalpur State
During the discussion, Faizan Arif informed Ehsan Ahmed Sehar that he is currently researching a book on the last ruler of the former Bahawalpur State, Nawab Sir Sadiq Muhammad Khan Abbasi, focusing on the historical relationship between the Abbasi rulers and the British monarchy. He said he regularly consults archival material at the India Office Library in London to document the pre-1947 history of Bahawalpur State and its relations with British India.
Dinner Hosted for Journalists
The discussion took place on the sidelines of a dinner hosted by Faizan Arif for fellow journalists in Bahawalpur.
Among those attending were Majeed Gill (Daily Dawn), Fazal Hameed Ahmed (Daily Sutlej), Saeed Ahmed (Fortnightly Haqeeqat), Majeed Hashmi (Daily Mashal), Professor Dr. Shehzad Rana, former Chairman of the Department of Media Studies at the Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Sajjad Pervaiz (Controller News, Radio Pakistan Lahore), Dr. Muhammad Nadeem (Daily Sadiqulakhbar), Iftikhar Ahmed Alvi (Patron-in-Chief, Press Club Samasata), Mubashar Waseem Lodhi (Senior Journalist, Lodhran), Fazal Mehmood (former official of the Directorate of Public Relations), Khalil Syed (Radio Pakistan Bahawalpur), Ehsan Ahmed Sehar( Daily Nawa-I-Ahmedpursharqia) and other senior journalists.
Bahawalpur: London-based Pakistani journalist Faizan Arif (centre) poses with editors and senior journalists from Bahawalpur after a dinner reception hosted in their honour at a local hotel.
