Bilawal Bhutto calls for zero tolerance for crimes against journalists
Liaquat Ali
Islamabad: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has called for stronger protection of journalists against threats, violence, harassment and murder, saying the state and society share a collective responsibility to ensure that media workers can perform their duties without fear.
In his message on the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, Bilawal said remaining silent over crimes against journalists amounted to suppressing the voices of truth and justice. He stressed that those responsible for attacks on media professionals must be held accountable and prevented from escaping punishment.
Allowing perpetrators of crimes against journalists to go unpunished, he said, was tantamount to silencing the public’s right to information.
Bilawal highlighted the vital role of journalists in bringing facts to the public, holding those in positions of power accountable and promoting awareness and understanding across society. He said the failure to bring those involved in crimes against journalists to justice posed a serious threat to press freedom, democracy and the rule of law.
Referring to Pakistan’s constitutional framework, the PPP chairman said the unanimously adopted Constitution of 1973 guaranteed every citizen the fundamental right to freedom of expression. Protecting this right, he added, was both a constitutional and moral responsibility of a democratic state.
Bilawal also recalled the role of his mother, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, in advancing press freedom during her tenure as prime minister. He said her government had abolished restrictive laws introduced during General Zia-ul-Haq’s military rule that had been used to suppress press freedom and silence independent voices.
He described the move as a historic demonstration of the importance of dissent and independent journalism in a democracy.
Reaffirming his party’s commitment, Bilawal said the PPP would continue its struggle for press freedom, freedom of expression and the protection of journalists.
He maintained that democracy could neither become stronger nor citizens become fully informed and empowered without an independent and free press.