Pakistan is ranked as the most dangerous country in

which to work as a journalist.

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), in

partnership with the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), recently

deployed four missions to assess the situation on the ground in some of the

most dangerous and under-reported provinces for journalists in the country -

Balochistan, Interior Sindh, the Khyber – FATA region and Punjab.

The missions found that problems for journalists and

media personnel working in Pakistan’s conflict zones are multiple and complex.

Independent Pakistani media see themselves as playing

a key role in the reporting of the ongoing civil unrest in Pakistan ensuring an

independent, ethical and critical media that provides full, fair and impartial

information.  In doing so, they have

become targets. With key journalists gagged, others beaten and arrested,

independent broadcasters banned from the airwaves, and censorship under the

guise of a new "code of conduct," press freedom is under attack.

In conflict-ridden provinces such as Balochistan and

the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), media personnel sandwiched

between insurgent elements and government security forces find it virtually

impossible to conduct their work freely. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the tribal

areas, the safety situation is just as precarious for media, as Taliban and

other groups pressure the Government by launching attacks in public places,

pro-government gatherings, mosques and religious seminaries.

While safety and security remain priority concerns,

journalists in Pakistan also confront enormous difficulties due to lack of

decent wages and job security, mass retrenchments and poor workplace

environments. These compound the pressures of journalists working on the front

line. 

Journalists’ unions in Pakistan continue to struggle

for implementation of minimum wage under the Seventh Wage Board Award.  Journalists are commonly employed under

insecure short term contracts which are not accountable to the Wage Board and

salaries are held for months at a time causing great distress to working

journalists and their families.

The

PFUJ will launch the four reports The

State of Journalism in Pakistan, at their headquarters in Islamabad on May

3 to mark World Press Freedom Day. 

The reports

are available on the IFJ website.

For further information

contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +61 9333 0950

The IFJ

represents more than 600,000 journalists in 131 countries

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the IFJ on Twitter: @ifjasiapacific

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