“Journalism is a sacred profession and all journalists should adhere to the norms of journalistic ethics. It is incumbent upon each and every journalist to present truth to the people of the country however some journalists do not follow these basic norms which should never be the case, “said the Sindh Information Minister Shazia Mari while talking to a certificate distribution ceremony of journalistic trainees arranged by Women Media Center Pakistan (WMC) at Sheraton Hotel Karachi.

According to the Minister, some journalists also breach the right of privacy of people and meddle in their lives directly which is totally against human rights. She said that media persons should not ruin the lives of people through such coverage.

“The entire journalistic community should not be blamed for the wrongs of a few and positive media role against dictators should not be ignored altogether. They [Media] stood firm like the politicians, faced the propaganda and fought for the freedom of expression in our homeland,” she added.

Mari also talked of feudal mindset which is prevalent everywhere across Pakistan and that her family is agriculturalist and not feudal. The latter being accustomed to domestic violence against women does not demonstrate the character of her background.

WMC Executive Director Fauzia Shaheen also spoke at the event and said, “Many journalists were abused while reporting on sensitive issues and 16 were assassinated. Most of the killings were that of journalists reporting on political issues and the most dangerous areas for such reporting were those located in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtun Khwa.”

She also expressed concerns over constant abductions being practiced in conflict stricken zones of Pakistan and demanded better measures to be taken by the security agencies for the protection of journalists in these areas.

Chairperson SZABIST Fauzia Khan, Fahim Siddiqui, Faisal Aziz, Asghar Soomro and Amjad Ali khan also spoke at the ceremony.

Certificates were also distributed among the women journalistic trainees of ‘Responsible Media against Extremism’ ten-day workshop.