Bilawal Bhutto Calls for Protection of Journalists and an End to Impunity
Press Freedom: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari calls for journalists’ protection and accountability for crimes against media workers.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has called for stronger protection of journalists, saying that silence over crimes against media workers amounts to suppressing truth and justice.
In his message on the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, Bilawal said protecting journalists from threats, violence, harassment and murder was a shared responsibility of the state and society.
He warned that allowing those responsible for crimes against journalists to escape punishment effectively silences the public’s right to information.
Bilawal Highlights Role of Free Press
The PPP chairman said journalists play a vital role in bringing facts to the public, holding those in power accountable and raising awareness about important issues.
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He said failure to bring perpetrators of crimes against journalists to justice threatens press freedom, democracy and the rule of law.
Bilawal also recalled that the unanimously adopted 1973 Constitution guarantees citizens the fundamental right to freedom of expression. He described protecting this right as both a constitutional and moral responsibility of a democratic state.
Recalls Benazir Bhutto’s Measures for Press Freedom
Referring to the government of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, Bilawal said she abolished restrictive laws introduced during General Zia-ul-Haq’s dictatorship.
He said those laws had been used to suppress press freedom and restrict the media’s voice.
Bilawal described Benazir Bhutto’s decision as a historic step that reflected the importance of dissent and an independent press in a democratic society.
PPP Reaffirms Commitment to Journalists’ Safety
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the PPP would continue its struggle for press freedom, freedom of expression and journalists’ protection.
He stressed that democracy could not grow stronger without a free press. He added that citizens could not become fully informed and empowered unless journalists worked without fear or intimidation.
His message called for accountability for crimes against media workers and stronger safeguards for journalists across the country.
