ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Safety Centre for Journalist of National Press Club (NPC) Islamabad on Tuesday organized a workshop to sensitize the media persons about the threats they have been facing while performing their professional duties in the field or at their respective media outlets.
The participants of the workshop took active part in the practical and theoretical sessions of the workshop and mustered ample knowledge about the threat they had been facing in the recent geo political scenario.
Renowned journalist and International Safety Expert Iqbal Khattak supervised the training workshop and apprised the participants about the threats to their security and remedies they could take to protect themselves in case they face threats of numerous natures.
President PFUJ Afzal Butt while chairing the session said that alarm bells had rung and it was the high time that every segment of the society with special regard to the media worker fraternity should raise their voice against the threat hurling elements and groups.
“We have to equip ourselves to take the challenges which have been posed out of emerging variety of challenges to the work force in the field of media,” he said.
He urged that steps be taken to overcome the aspect of impunity to the criminals who are at large after committing heinous crimes like kidnapping, torturing and murder.
President National Press Club highlighted the need to forge unity among all the stakeholders and a united meeting be immediately convened to evolve a joint strategy to deal with the challenges of their own kind.
He said no such challenges in the past had ever been faced which are presently confronted to the journalist community.
“We have to safeguard ourselves besides being vigilant enough to counter the nefarious designs of the terror elements,” he said.
Earlier, In-charge Safety Centre for Journalists Ejaz Shah presented report whereby informing that the centre had during the last three years helped ensure safety of over 60 male and female journalists and media workers.
A number of awareness programs for the media workers were arranged besides holding meetings with high officials of government, police and law enforcement agencies at various levels to clamp measures for ensuring safety of the media worker community, he added.
President Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) Ali Raza Alvi, Former NPC President Farooq Faisal Khan, members of the NPC executive body and a large number of journalists and media workers attended the function.
Source: APP
