KARACHI: Journalists, human rights activists and academics discussed new digital challenges to the media and demanded that the federal government repeal the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) and withdraw all cases registered against journalists under the controversial law.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), in collaboration with the Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ), organised a discussion to mark World Press Freedom Day at the Karachi PressClub on Saturday.

Speaking on the occasion, HRCP Chairperson Asad Iqbal Butt said that when a state makes unusual laws, the ruling party which came up with such laws may be targeted too when they are not in power. And with it civil society and the common person is targeted too.

`Laws such as Peca hurts the common person as he or she is prevented from speaking on social media. But let the people have their freedom to speak. Let them air their grievances. If not allowed to speak up, they`ll go astray and go in the wrong direction, and may even connect with the wrong people,` he said.`The state should allow them to talk. It should encourage dialogue with them instead of shutting them up. Because shutting them up will start a fire. You don`t grow flowers on fire. Fire only spreads,` he added.

Senior journalist Hussain Nagi, who has fought for freedom of the press all his life, observed how everyone is living in fear now.

`The common man is afraid of the army, the police, and so many other institutions, and these institutions are afraid of the media. Therefore, they are against media freedom,` he observed, adding that it is the need of the hour tocombine forces.

`What is needed now is for journalists and media workers to join hands with trade unions, civil society members and also nationalists. Without this alliance you won`t be able to change matters,` he said.

`The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists [PFUJ] and the HRCP have always stood up for each other. Till the time journalists are alive, journalism is alive, education is alive, awareness is alive and human rights is alive,` he said.

Rights activist and senior civil society member Mahnaz Rahman remembered the journalists who fought for the freedom of press without ulterior motives. `They used to resign on principles,` she said. `Today, the government has come up with a new way of controlling the media by stopping their advertisements.

`They are using advertisements as a tool to pressure journalists. If they write the truth, the advertisements are pulled from their publications,` she said.

Journalist Mazhar Abbas spoke about how the institution of editors was also destroyed by design. `Because the editors were the ones standing in the way of the government`s foreing its will on news publications,` he said.

Journalist and activist Sohail Sangi said that democracy and the parliaments are of no use if a country`s media is not free. `When we ask for freedom of the press we are also thinking about the good of the government. Media curbs weaken democracy and give power to dictatorship,` he pointed out.

Writer and academic Dr Tauseef Ahmed Khan spoke about the various laws introduced by the government over the years with the sole purpose of restricting the media.

`There was Ayub Khan`s Press andPublications Ordinance [PPO] to control newspapers, there was the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority [Pemra] to control electronic media. And the recent Peca, said to control social media, is the worst form of all those laws,` he said.

Nasir Mansoor of the National Trade Union Federation said that new technology advancement has always hurt workers. `New machines used to do away with the workers, who used to do the same work manually. But technology should not be your enemy. It is also an advancement, which is a good thing. But sadly, technology is not used for the wellbeing of people, it is being used for downsizing and profiteering,` he observed.

Academic Dr Riaz Shaikh, journalist Javed Chaudhry and Shakeel Yameen Kanga also spoke at the discussion, which was moderated by KUJ Secretary Sardar Liaquat.

Finally, KUJ President Tahir Hassan Khan read the resolution, which demanded state authorities to stop making it difficult for the media to play the role of the fourth pillar of the state.

It was demanded that the federal government immediately repeal the Peca law and refrain from stifling newspapers by stopping their advertisements.

It also demanded the withdrawal of allcases registered against journalists under Peca.

Expressing concern over the prevailing escalation of the threats of a war between Pakistan and India, the meeting `condemns the use of the media by both governments to spread war madness`.

It appealed to journalists, writers, intellectuals and poets of both countries to strengthen a narrative of peace instead of war.

`This meeting condemns the cessation of government advertisements for Dawn newspaper. The participants are of the view that an attempt is being made to influence the policy of the newspaper by stopping the publication of government advertisements in it, which is clearly a violation of Articles 19 and 19A of the Constitution,` the resolution read.

`The session strongly condemns the deprivation of salaries of journalists and other workers of newspapers and the electronic media. The meeting demands that the federal and provincial governments stop issuing advertisements to the media houses that fail to pay salaries and provide other benefits to their workers in accordance with the relevant laws. The government advertisements should be linked to the implementation of the Wage Award and other labour laws in the media houses.