Freedom of media imperative for strengthening of democratic institutions: Pervaiz
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Pervaiz Rashid said Tuesday that right to information bill has been prepared as the government believed that freedom of media was imperative for further strengthening the democratic institutions. Addressing the meeting of Coalition on Safety of Journalist issues, Pervaiz Rashid said the said bill will soon be presented before the Senate for approval.
There was consensus in the parliament on the issue of freedom of expression and right to information,he added. He said for development to be sustainable and institutions to strengthen and consolidate themselves,freedom of expression and right to information and journalists need to be protected. He said PML-N and all other parties support efforts of all stakeholders to
protect rights of journalists as enshrined in the Constitution.
“We consider media as a watch dog of the interests of the society and are not afraid of its criticism,”he said adding the security situation was not conducive for the journalists but the government on its part will take all possible steps for the protection and security of the journalists. He said it was the top priority of the government to resolve the issues faced by the journalists.
The Minister also called upon the media outlets to come up with a charter on the safety of journalists. He said that the government will take all possible steps to help the families of the martyred journalists who sacrificed their lives or were injured while performing their duty.
Speaking on the occasion, Director of United Nations Information Center Vittorio Cammarota said the world body has approved a plan of action for journalists which is aimed at providing safe environment to the working journalists.
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