Safety for Journalists Training Programme Concludes in Rural Pakistan 100 journalists attend four training workshops in Rahimyarkhan and Bahawalpur Districts

May 2-3,2011
AhmedpurEast(Rural Pakistan)Series of four training workshops on Safety of Journalists working in rural areas of RahimyarKhan and Bahawalpur districts of former Bahawalpur province ended here on May 3,2011 in AhmedpurEast. A total 100 journalists attended these four workshops which were organised by the Rural Media Network Pakistan in collaboration with Unesco. Four instructors hailing from Karachi Babar Ayaz Central Vice President South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA )Fazal Qureshi Former Chairman Pakistan Press Foundation(PPF) & Ex- Vice Chairman newsagency Pakistan Press International(PPI),Doctor Tauseef Ahmed Khan Associate Professor Mass Communication Department Government Federal Urdu University Karachi and Khalid Saeed former research coordinator at the Asia-Pacific Institute in Tokyo, Japan acted as trainers These trainings focused upon print and TV journalists and enabled them to report on conflict constructively and in a manner which does not jeopardize their own well-being. Through variety of sessions, the journalists were sensitised about social issues of locals and how their voices need to be incorporated in the media. Highlighting the background of these trainings, President RMNP Ehsan Ahmed Sehar said that reporting from hostile environment requires courage and dedication. “We are making sure that those who choose such a daring job also have the assurance of their safety,” he said.

He added that these trainings will endow the journalists working in the rural areas of RahimyarKhan and Bahawalpur districts with necessary survival mechanisms to continue their work unhindered. “This initiative will certainly improve the overall condition of media personnel in these areas and will assist them in adopting a set of precautionary measures that are necessary to survive in a hostile environment,” President RMNP observed.

Last training workshop was organised in AhmedpurEast, one of the biggest Sub-division of Punjab province from May 2 to May 3,2 011and it was attended by twenty three journalists working for regional and national media. Among other things, the participants were taught about personal safety ,pre-development planning, conflict management, dealing with hostile crowds and extremists besides reaction to shooting, check points, abduction and basic first aid. Question and answers session were also held in which the participants put volley of questions about covering honour killings, cross firing and sectarian violence incidents. The RMNP distributed Urdu translation of the charter for the safety of journalists, guidelines for individual and joint protection of investigators, security tips of International Federation of Journalists(IFJ) and Nepal Press Institute among participants. They also received the Urdu translation of the resource person Khalid Saeed presentation. Political Assistant to Chief Minister Punjab Engineer Mohd BalighurRehman MNA distributed among 23 participants Mohd Rafique Safdar,Mohd Iqbal Danish, Shabbir Ahmed Qurreshi, Waheed Abbas Bukhari, Hafiz Mohd Ejaz Baloch, Hameedullah Khan Aziz,A.D.Khan Jalwana,Mohd Ejaz Anjum,Mohd Ashfaq Sandha,Mohd Mujahid Khalil, Syed Itrat Hussein Rizvi,Mohd Saleem Rajput,Mohd Yousaf Ghani Qureshi, RaziurRehman Ansari,Shahid Iftikhar Ahmed,Saifullah Khan Nutkani,Shehzad Hassan Qadri,ShafiqueurRehman,Abdul Malik,Mohd Ejaz Khan Baloch,Mohd Imran Lar,Mohd Sajjad Ghallu and Mohd Salman Farooqi.

Meanwhile a training manual on safety issues for journalists will be published in the mid-May which is jointly edited and compiled by Ehsan Ahmed Sehar and Khalid Saeed.Similarly a new website is being launched where details of slain Pakistani journalists will be published.