SUKKUR: A recent workshop and seminar titled “Protect Journalists,” organized by the Pakistan Press Foundation at the Press Club Thatta, has spotlighted the grave issue of targeted killings of journalists across the country. The event brought together leaders from political, social, academic, and literary spheres, alongside journalists, to address the urgent need for enforcing protective laws for journalists.
Prominent figures at the seminar included renowned journalist and lawyer Lala Hassan Pathan, Assistant Director of Information Thatta Abdul Shakoor Memon, District Social Welfare Officer Sujawal Niaz Memon, Advocate Abdul Majeed Samo, human rights leader Altaf Tanio, educator and poet Khalida Khukhik, writer Sindhu Sindhi, author Waqar-un-Nisa, President of Thatta Press Club Iqbal Jakhro, senior journalist and columnist Khuda Bux Brohi, and others.
The seminar’s speakers expressed profound concern over the alarming trend of targeted violence against journalists, with a reported 73 journalists killed in recent years and justice remaining largely elusive. Out of these cases, only five have led to registered investigations, with four accused acquitted and only one conviction. The case of journalist Mushtaq Khand, where the perpetrators received a mere seven-year sentence, was highlighted as a stark example of systemic failings within the justice system.
Recent killings and torture of journalists in Sindh, including Azeem Memon, Jan Muhammad Mehr, Sanaullah Gawani, Ajay Lalwani, and Mushtaq Khand, were cited as evidence of the Sindh government’s failure to implement the Sindh Journalist Protection and Media Practice Law effectively. The event underscored the critical need for unified action from the journalist community and called for judicial redress to safeguard the rights and safety of journalists.
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