Journalists of Balochistan / lack of safety training
Journalism is a responsible profession through which journalists contribute to society. Regardless of all barriers and challenges placed in their way. The relationship between. Journalists and their news reporters play a central role in shaping public opinion. Normally, serving and informing audiences are the most important duties of journalists. Freedom of speech and freedom of the press is generally attributed to an independent society where the basic rights of citizens are ensured. Balochistan, the western and resources rich province of Pakistan with its huge geopolitical importance has been under a strong wave of terrorism for the last two decades. This menace of terrorism has severely affected citizens of the province including media workers.
My name is Imran Mukhtar, I was working as a cameraman for Geo News in 2009, and I was injured in a suicide attack in Quetta in 2010 at the Quds Day rally. I remember it was the month of Ramadan and I went to the media coverage of this rally with my team. “Meanwhile, there was a loud explosion in the rally at Bacha Khan Chowk, the business area of the city, chaos broke out everywhere. As a result of this explosion, many people were killed and many people were injured.” I was among the injured. Due to this explosion, sprinters were contracted in different parts of my body. Not only had that, firing started after the explosion.
On one side, dead bodies were lying, the screams of the injured were on the other side, and on the other side, and firing was also going on. People among them children or injured were running to save their lives. I was also trying to save my life in a severely injured state so as not to be under fire, meanwhile, my camera was recording. I need something at this time. I didn’t understand what was happening to me. At this point, my condition worsened due to bleeding. I saw that my reporter was about to reach me and with the help of other colleagues picked me up quickly and put me on a bike and told them to take me to the hospital immediately.
Injured people were lying everywhere. After the treatment, Allah gave me health and a new life. I will probably never forget the scene of the explosion and the situation in the hospital after that. There were many incidents of target killing, firing and bomb attacks, in which many of our journalists, cameramen, photographers and other media workers were martyred or injured along with others. Even today, when I remember my martyred journalist colleagues in these attacks, my heart becomes depressed, around 2016 I shifted to Lahore. After working in Geo News for some time, he joined Bol News.
Journalist organizations have been left only in name, the work of the senior officials of the organization is nothing but to get votes from journalists and settle their houses.
I have been serving in the field of journalism for the past 20 years but till date, no government organization or journalistic organization has given me any safety training. International organizations train their workers and keep them informed of everything and how to protect themselves in the event of threats from explosions, firings, etc.
But our national news channels only hire journalists but do not pay them on time and do not give safety training. In addition, as many organizations have been formed in the name of journalists, it seems that they have been formed not for the better interest of journalists, but to get their votes. , because the performance of these organizations regarding the protection of the interests of journalists and their rights is zero.
President of Quetta Press Club Abdul Khaliq Rand says that the training of journalists regarding their safety is very important. Safety training is especially important for journalists working in the field when journalists are performing their duties at the Field. So during this time, it is necessary to ensure the safety of yourself and your friends. Because there have been many incidents in the past in Balochistan in which journalists have been injured and martyred.
As far as the safety training of journalists is concerned, how much training has the Quetta Press Club conducted?
So, in this regard, the Balochistan Union of Generals and Quetta Press Club along with other training institutions and experts have organized a large number of training sessions for journalists working in the field in Balochistan. No physical trainings were conducted.
In which a large number of journalists from Balochistan participated, although it is important to protect the journalist’s life more than it is important to inform
, Quetta Press Club has always played an important role in helping journalists injured in blast or firing incidents.
Psychiatrist Assistant Professor Dr. Mujeebullah said that not only providing security training for journalists in Balochistan is essential but the environment of media offices and newsrooms must also be made tension-free. Government and journalism organizations should conduct safety training for journalists as well as training for their mental health.
So that journalists can easily get out of any pressure and continue their work as usual without any mental pressure.
Dr. Mujibullah Dotani said that Apart from general physical health, good mental health is also the basic right of every human being. But due to many reasons and problems, the mental health of a man is getting affected day by day. A healthy mind enables one to learn and move forward in daily life, he said that journalists in Balochistan are performing their professional services in difficult conditions. Most of the journalists are suffering from mental stress due to the bad situation of law and order, especially bomb blasts, shootings and other threats. Apart from this, the journalists of the province are also facing problems like unemployment and poverty. In these conditions, the mental pressure of journalists is increasing to an alarming extent.
Source: Balochistan Express
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