Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists and its affiliates held rallies, seminars and protests through the country to join hands with the World media & mark World Press Freedom Day on May 3, 2024. The PFUJ affiliated regional unions in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Quetta, Hyderabad, Sakhar, Ghotki, Khanewal, Chishtian, Bahwalnagar, Bahawalpur, Kamonke, Gujranwala, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Khairpur and other held rallies, protests and seminars where hundreds of media workers, official of the press clubs, members of civil society, politicians, advocates, workers leaders participate to show solidarity with media workers.

The speakers in the rallies said that Pakistan has become a difficult place for the media where number of journalists have sacrificed their lives while hundreds have been facing intimidation, terrorism, state and non-state threats for doing their job of journalism and bringing truth before the society while they have also been fighting for the basic rights likes of regular salaries, job security, illegal terminations and joblessness due to closure of media houses. They detailed that senior journalists are being screwed while Arshad Shareef and others murders were facing a state of impunity despite countrywide protests and rallies. On the other side legislation to protect journalists was being delayed while exiting laws were not implemented with true spirit to add worries of the media workers.

The speakers condemned killings of journalists in Gaza and showed their solidarity with the media fraternity who had been sacrificing their lives in the line duty and demanded the UNO to take action and save lives of the innocent people in Gaza.

The PFUJ President GM Jamali and Secretary General Rana Muhammad Azeem while addressing the rallies said that they have been raising vice for the rights of the media workers and moved the courts to implement the existing laws but the media workers still not being given basic rights. The wage board awards despite approval were not implemented in different media houses and new wage board was not being formulated to review the wages amid rocketing inflammation in the country.

They continued that killing of a journalist and President Khuzdar Press Club Maulana Siddiq Mengal on World Press Freedom Day was very alarming and a dreadful message to the media workers which is being condemned by every democratic person n the country. They demanded a speedy investigation in this and other cases and end impunity so th the culprits could be punished and put behind the bars. They demanded to provide financial compensation to the heirs of the killed journalists in Pakistan.

The PFUJ leadership said” we demand the government of Pakistan and relevant authorities to end impunity for the cases of the journalists and provide rights of the media workers a promised in the laws of the land. Media freedom be ensued to strengthen the democracy in the country,”