Consultative Workshop & Distribution of UNESCO Resource Material among Press Club Chanigoth members
President RMNP Ehsan Ahmed Sehar welcomes the passage of Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Bill
Chanigoth:December 7 (Rural Pakistan) Professionalism and safety training are essential to developing media freedom in Pakistan,but due to mushroom growth of electronic and social media, majority of the rural journalists who represent 65 percent populace of the country were still untrained ,often working in isolation with extremely limited support from media houses in financial professional and professional terms. These views were expressed by President RMNP Ehsan Ahmed Sehar while addressing a Consultative Workshop & Seminar on the Safety of Journalists” organised by the Rural Media Network Pakistan in Press Club Chanigoth.
UNESCO Resource Material CDs for Journalists in Conflict were distributed among all press club members. Ehsan Ahmed Sehar stated that freedom of expression is shrinking in Pakistan and journalists were facing difficulties in performing their duties. He said that after years of lobbying ,”Journalists Protection & welfare Bill” was finally approved by the National Assembly on November 8,2021 and Senate on November 20,2021.To ensure this, an “Independent Commission for the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals” will be established. The commission will inquire into complaints against threats or acts of torture, killing, violent attacks, forced disappearance, and arbitrary arrests of journalists. It will also report and provide measures to actively investigate, prosecute and punish acts of violence and threats to journalist, he informed the audience.
President RMNP appreciated both government and opposition for the passage of this bill and termed it a significant step forward for the safety of journalists and an end to impunity in crimes against journalists. Ehsan Ahmed Sehar hoped that government will ensure the safety of journalists by implementing this law in its true letter and spirit. President President Press Club Chanigoth Shahid Bashir Anjum,Vice President Ch Khalid Gujjar,General Secretary Abdul Hafeez Anjum also spoke on this occasion.President Press Club Chanigoth Shahid Bashir Chaudhry demanded to organise “Basic Journalism Training Workshop” for local journalists who recently adopted the profession of journalism .Ehsan Ahmed Sehar assured him to organise this training workshop with a short span of time.He announced to provided Basic Journalism and Television Journalism Training Manuals to all members of the Press Club Chanigoth.
RMNP President Ehsan Ahmed Sehar responding the volley of questions in Consultative Workshop & Seminar in Press Club Chanigoth
Earlier participants of the seminar discussed prevailing situation in the area where journalists had been threatened by an extremist sectarian organisation of dire consequences due to not airing their footage of their protest meeting in the backdrop of the killing of one person and ransanking the Police station Chanigoth.
Later on President RMNP Ehsan Ahmed Sehar deliverd UNESCO Resource Material CDs for Journalist in Conflict among Press Club Chanigoth members Shahid Bashir Chaudhry,Abdul Hafeez Anjum,Chaudhry Khalid Gujjar,Muhammad Imran Chaudhry,Rao Rizwan Ali,MateeurRehman Malik, Muhammad Asif Rid,Muhammad Ajmal Bajwa,Malik Mazhar Saeed,AttaurRehman Malik,Shakil Khan,Ehsanullah Kan,Zahid Khan Abbasi,Shah Mir Khan and Shehbaz Khan.
