In Pakistan , where journalists are facing financial difficulties, there are a large number of journalist workers whose organizations do not provide any financial support for their treatment, while if a journalist dies while performing journalistic duties, most of the media houses There are those who do not even care to help the heirs of the deceased. However, the former federal government had announced the issuance of health cards for journalists, while the caretaker government of Punjab has established an endowment fund for journalists with a huge sum of one billion rupees.

An accident changed the life of the senior cameraman

Forty-eight-year-old Furqan Shakir is a senior photographer who has been seen sitting near the entrance of the Lahore Press Club for the past few days . Try to recognize the faces of people coming and going to the club. Most of the time they sit silently and stare into space or start asking someone for a cigarette.

Furqan Shakir  used to work as a photographer in a well-known evening newspaper published in Lahore. However, in the year 2019, he met with a serious accident, as a result of which he suffered a brain injury and lost his mental balance.   Furqan Shakir is the father of one daughter and one son. Daughter is matriculation student while son is in middle class.   Furqan Shakir was undergoing treatment at the Punjab Institute of Mental Health (Mental Hospital). In the last week of August 2023, a doctor of the mental hospital   shared a video of Furqan Shakir on social media in which he told that this person ( Furqan Shaker ) was left here by his family for treatment. His mental condition is much better than before. Now he needs to spend time with his family and eat well. But his family never got in touch again.

After the social media video went viral, the members of Lahore Press Club and friends of Furqan Shakir brought him home from the hospital and now he lives with his family, but they come and sit in Lahore Press Club to spend time.

Furqan Shakir ‘s family said that they have been going to the hospital to visit him. The government hospital used to ask to take the patient home to save life. We wanted to keep him in the hospital until he fully recovers. Furqan Shakir was under treatment in the hospital for several months, during which his company dismissed him from his job. Now his mental health has improved to some extent but now he has developed liver disease and he does not have a penny for treatment.

On the other hand, the management of the institution from which he was discharged said that when the accident happened, the institution had supported him to get treatment, but when his mental balance deteriorated and he was not able to come to the office . If there were, they were dismissed from the job. 

Secretary General of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists and former president of Lahore Press Club Arshad Ansari said that on the days when this accident happened with Furqan Shakir , he along with other members of the governing body went to Furqan Shaker ‘s house. Due to financial difficulties, the family of Farqan Shakir had mortgaged the lower portion of the house for five lakh rupees, while the family was suffering from severe problems regarding daily expenses and children’s education. Arshad Ansari said that he immediately paid the money and took back the mortgaged portion of his house and rented out the Porsche at a reasonable monthly rent, which became a source of income for the family. Monthly support of the family was arranged.

Role of Lahore Press Club for treatment of journalists

Like Furqan Shakir, there are many journalists whose institutions do not provide them with any facilities for treatment and they have to get treatment at their own expense. The press club and the leading organizations of journalists’ rights also seem helpless in this regard.

Senior journalist and secretary of Lahore Press Club Abdul Majeed Sajid says that Lahore Press Club is perhaps the only organization which introduced life insurance policy for its members. Lahore Press Club introduced life insurance for members in 1997-98 which Premier Club pays from its budget. Club members are charged a membership fee of Rs.1000 per year while the annual premium of group insurance is around Rs.3500 per member. While the fee paid by the members provides them with other facilities including subsidy on cafeteria food and tea. State Life of Pakistan to the heirs of several journalists who died under this policyThe insurance money has been given by , but unfortunately due to non-premierada for the last few years, that policy became ineffective but now efforts are being made to restore it again. He said that in case of death of a member of Lahore Press Club, 8 to 10 lakh rupees will be given to his heirs. He also said that if a journalist falls ill, efforts are made to get him treated through the Public Relations Department of Punjab, but this process is very limited.

Announcement of issuance of health card for journalists

Former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the last days of his government announced the establishment of a special fund for journalists who died while performing their professional duties under which 4 million rupees should be paid to the families of journalists who died in an accident . While announcing the issuance of health card for the first time in the history of Pakistan , after which the online registration of journalists from all over the country was started. However , none of the journalists who registered online have received any response yet, while no journalist in Punjab  has been able to get a health card .

According to the officials of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, work is underway on this project. The data of journalists is being taken from registered press clubs across the country, apart from this, the public relations department of all the provinces and then the data is being collected online. All the data will be collected and verified. Officials said that it is not necessary for a journalist to be a member of the press club for a health card . All Media House workers will be able to benefit from this facility. Officials said that no final date could be given regarding the issuance of health cards to journalists across the country.

The role of representative organizations for the treatment of journalists

Arshad Ansari says that some big media houses provide support to their workers for treatment, while some organizations give reasonable compensation to the heirs of those who died while on duty. He said that if the media owners register their workers in Social Security and Old Age Benefit Institution (EOBI), journalists can get many facilities.

Registration with Social Security will provide medical facilities to workers and their families, while deserving journalist workers can also get marriage grant on the marriage of their daughters.

Endowment fund established for journalists in Punjab

Under the Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act, 2013, DGPR Punjab Rubina Afzal said that the Punjab government had created a Journalist Support Fund in 2009 but very little money was allocated for this fund. If a deserving journalist falls ill, or his daughter gets married, or God willing, in case of death of a journalist , his heirs are financially supported by this fund. However, the current caretaker government has funded the journalist endowment of journalists with a huge amount of one billion rupees. The caretaker provincial cabinet had approved it while the finance department had also allocated funds, but during this time, the endowment under the Finance Management Act 2012 FundRolls were to be made. Those rolls were prepared in July this year. These rules stipulate that the endowment fund shall be used for the following purposes. After adopting these rules, we again sent the case for approval. The provincial cabinet has to approve it again after which the provision of assistance under this fund will start. 

He said that this fund will help the members of Lahore Press Club. Further details can be disclosed only after the approval of the supervisory cabinet.

Why don’t journalist organizations get health and life insurance for workers?

Most of the newspapers and TV channels in Pakistan do not provide health and life insurance for their workers. In this regard , an attempt was made to take a stand from the officials of Council of Newspaper Editors Association, All Pakistan Newspapers Society and Pakistan Broadcasters Association, but no organization has given any response. However, PakistanSecretary of Federal Union of Journalists Rana Azim said media owners exploit their workers. The media houses which are registered as companies have to take group health insurance for their regular employees as it is required to do so according to the company rules but the publishing houses are not registered as companies so the company rules are not applicable to them. They do not get group insurance for their workers and do not get them registered with social security. This is the reason why many journalists like Furqan Shakir are in need of a penny for