ISLAMABAD: (APP) Security measures need to be further fortified to ensure safety and protection of media houses and media persons, Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage (IB&NH) Pervaiz Rashid Friday said
He was chairing the 6th Meeting of the Ministerial Committee constituted to address security related issues of media houses here.
Minister of State for Federal Education, Professional Training, Interior and Narcotics Control Baligh ur Rehman and Advisor to PM on National History and Literary Heritage Irfan Siddiqui were also present on the occasion.
Senator Pervaiz Rashid said that the government was committed to the welfare of journalist community and therefore it was working on the formulation of Journalist Welfare & Protection Bill - 2016 to ensure legislative cover to the genuine demands and concerns of media persons.
The bill would include the clauses about endowment fund, compensation in case of loss of life and severe injury and insurance schemes for sustainable development and protection of media industry as well as those working for it, the minister informed.
He said that safety of media houses and persons was government's top priority and Government would utilize all its resources in that connection.
While appreciating the security measures adopted by Islamabad Capital Territory Police (ICTP), he urged provincial authorities to replicate the same in their respective provinces.
He also asked the ICTP to establish a liaison with provincial home departments for provision of technical assistance in the installation of alert panic button system in their respective jurisdictions.
The Information Minister directed the officials concerned to conduct a detailed analysis of security threats to media houses and also asked to identify those media houses which were not fulfilling their responsibility in ensuring safety measures.
Pervaiz Rashid directed to constitute a sub-committee for monitoring the process of implementation on the decisions of the committee. The sub-committee would be chaired by Parliamentary Secretary IB&NH Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha.
The Information Minister also proposed to hold a training workshop by the IB&NH ministry's supervised Pakistan Peace Collective Project team to sensitize media persons about safety measures and reporting in conflict zones.
The committee also considered the compliance reports of provincial governments on the decisions of last meeting and also reviewed the security situation of media houses and media persons in the wake of terrorist attack in Quetta and attack on Media houses in Karachi.
The meeting was attended by Secretary IB&NH; Principal Information Officer, Press Information Department; Director General Internal Publicity Wing, Ministry of IB&NH; home and information secretaries from the four provinces including Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, as well as representatives of All Pakistan Newspapers Society, Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors, Pakistan Broadcasting Association and National Press Club, Islamabad.