KARACHI: A meeting of the Sindh Commission for the Protection of Journalists and Other Media Practitioners was held on Thursday.

The meeting was presided over by chairman Aijaz Ahmed Memon and attended by Dr Jabbar Khattak representing the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE), Mazhar Abbas from the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), Dr Tauseef Ahmed Khan representing the Sindh Human Rights Commission, Kazi Asad Abid from the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS), Ubaidullah Khan from the All Pakistan Newspaper Employees Confederation (Apnec), additional law secretary Asadullah Bhatti, representatives of information, human rights departments and commission`s Secretary Saeed Memon.

The meeting participants discussed challenges faced by journalists in Sindh and ways to address them.

They particularly focused on cases of journalists Nasrullah Gadani, Jan Muhammad Mahar, Haider Mastoi from Sukkur Division, and the recent murder of journalist Allah Dino (A.D.) Shar from Khairpur, among other agenda items.

The commission had previously termed the Sukkur police reports on the cases of Jan Muhammad Mahar and Haider Mastoi unsatisfactory.

A letter was then sent tothe Inspector General of Sindh Police requesting that a representative officer from Sukkur Division was nominated to brief the commission in its next meeting. However, no representative from Sindh police attended the meeting, which prompted serious concern from the commission.

Emphasis was placed on the fact that all institutions, including the Sindh police, are legally obligated to implement the commission`s decisions.

It was decided that the home department and IG police would be emphasised to appoint one focal person each to ensure better coordination with the commission.

Furthermore, the commission decided to send letters, once again, to all media owners, reminding them that under Article 15 of the Sindh Commission for the Protection of Journalists and other Media Practitioners Act 2021, media owners are legally bound not only for the life insurance of their journalists, but also to ensure they receive safety trainings. Implementation of this law must be guaranteed to uphold the safety and protection of journalists.

The commission members also reviewed the Annual Progress Report drafted by the secretary of the body, and provided suggestions for its improvement.

After the meeting, they visited the under-construction commission office at the Sindh Archives and expressed satisfaction over the construction efforts led by the chairman.