A collapsing criminal justice system, a state that is routinely accused of complicity and political and social instability means that those who murder journalists continue to get away scot-free. This culture of impunity has flourished and pervaded across tiers of society and can be combatted through unconventional solutions like a people’s tribunal.

This was among the opinions expressed by journalists at a symposium on the safety and protection of journalists. It was organized by the Centre of Excellence in Journalism at IBA, Karachi, in collaboration with press freedom bodies Free Press Unlimited, Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) as part of their global ‘A Safer World For The Truth project’.

Journalist Hamid Mir, one of the panellists who joined the discussion virtually, cited the example of the people’s tribunal that was held at The Hauge earlier this year, which investigated unsolved murder cases of journalists from around the world. It included the case of Zubair Ahmed Mujahid, a Pakistani journalist who was murdered in Mirpurkhas in 2007.

The panellists, including journalists Owais Tohid, Nazeer Laghari and Mehmal Sarfaraz, with Amber Rahim Shamsi moderating, also paid tribute to Arshad Sharif, who was brutally murdered in Kenya two months ago. They opined that the situation had reached an alarming point where journalists were self-censoring.

Lawyer Faisal Siddiqi, one of the panellists who recently filed a plea for a fresh murder investigation on behalf of Mujahid’s family, said that formation of judicial commissions and joint investigation teams in such matters are often an eyewash, with the perpetrators unlikely to be identified.

They cited the case of Zubair Mujahid, which has failed to identify a single suspect despite the passage of 15 years and multiple reinvestigations.

Jos Bartman, a research coordinator for A Safer World for The Truth who joined the discussion virtually from Amsterdam, said that the FPU-led investigation found major deficiencies in the investigation with the police not considering his journalistic work as a motive for murder. The symposium included a documentary on Mujahid’s murder.

Journalist Munizae Jahangir, who also runs a digital platform, said that it was important to ask questions on the murder of journalists. She added that her platform documents those who file sedition cases against journalists and how it showed state complicity. “Everyone knows the nameless, faceless people behind the intimidation of journalist.”

The symposium was attended by journalists, students and people from all walks of life, including French Consul General in Karachi Alexis Chahtahtinski as well as Sindh Information Minister Shajreel Inam Memon.

The prime minister’s spokesperson Fahd Hussain was the chief guest at the event who acknowledged the bleak and treacherous times facing the media fraternity. But he also shared a glimmer of hope, informing those in attendance about the commission for the protection of journalists, which has been in the works for a while.

He said that the federal government would notify the commission “in a matter of days”. It would provide journalists some sort of legal recourse to journalists in case of threats. The event included a performance by satirists Murtaza and Mustafa Chaudhry in conversation with journalist Asad Toor.

Earlier in the day, the CEJ organised a dialogue among representatives of press club and unions of journalists.

It included journalists from other cities as well in which the participants discussed the safety challenges faced by journalists and how to mitigate them.

They discussed several recommendations which are shared in the attached document.

Press Release