By Saleem Mubarak
LAHORE: Khadim Hussain Gill, a broadcast journalist from Faisalabad, has been threatened with dire consequences over the phone.
The Civil Lines police, Faisalabad, have registered a case against the unidentified person(s) with no arrests.
Independent Journalism Under Threat
Independent journalism is considered crucial for democracy, as it plays an important role in informing the public and holding people at the helm of affairs accountable. However, the working environment for journalists is not conducive these days as it is fraught with multiple challenges and threats.
A recent incident involving Gill, who is serving as the Bureau Chief of Abb Takk News, also highlights the precarious environment scores of reporters face. Mediapersons believe that police registered the case, and the investigating officer will do nothing to trace the criminals.
They said that, most of the time, it has been observed that criminals will remain at large, and the police prefer to put the investigation of the case on the back burner. The lack of arrests of those involved in hurling life threats and attacking journalists raises concerns about the effectiveness of law enforcement in protecting media persons.
Talking to Grandlines Pk, Gill said he has been raising the issue of surging crimes in Faisalabad, as criminal elements have made life a living hell for the residents.
“I am not sure who is pulling the strings behind these threats, but I provided numbers to the police that were used to threaten me.”
He explained that the criminal(s) contacted him at midnight from different numbers, and he answered one of the calls. Immediately after picking up, he said the caller issued dire threats against his life. I ignored these threats and just spoke to a police officer, who advised me to file a report instead of ignoring the threats.
Faisalabad Police Retaliation Against Journalists
While delivering lectures and during private discussions, police officials urge the media to highlight issues within their department, including corruption, negligence, and crime. However, when journalists do this, he said, the police often retaliate against the media.
The Civil Lines police in Faisalabad have registered the FIR under section 25-D of The Telegraph Act.
On September, 2022, a journalist of Faisalabad, Mian Munawar, serving as Bureau Chief of 7 News, was subjected to severe torture when a video went viral on social media depicting a heated exchange of words with Qalb Abbas, then station house officer (SHO) of Rail Bazar police station.
When the video surfaced, Mian Munawar immediately clarified that it was a thing of the past and the issue had been resolved amicably with the help of mutual friends. He categorically said that the video had been deliberately circulated by negative elements only to strain relations between the media and the police.
However, the clarification did not satiate some policemen who hired private goons and subjected Mian Munawar to severe torture in public. The attackers also recorded the entire incident and circulated it among the public and media.
Media persons said the act of sending the footage of Munawar to journalists served as a clear warning to the journalist fraternity to toe the line or face the music.
They said the hiring of criminals to torture Munawar clearly indicated that some policemen had developed strong connections with negative elements to use them for their vested interests.
Gill said that a mountain of evidence exists indicating that journalists are facing threats from different sources, such as local mafias, non-state actors, political parties and others. However, instead of cowering in fear, he said journalists prefer to perform their jobs to strengthen democracy and provide accurate information to the masses.
He said it is the responsibility of the police to track down the criminals who threatened him with dire consequences. He added that the police’s failure to do so would indicate that the officials are not serious about protecting mediamen.
Journalists Committed to Truth Despite Threats
“My case is not an isolated incident, it’s just the tip of the iceberg reflecting a broader trend of intimidation that media persons face in the country,” he said.
The journalists know that covering sensitive issues like human rights abuses, corruption and political dissent can land them and their families in trouble. Despite all such odds, we are committed to our profession and will not back down, come what may,” he added.
A police officer said that a case has been instituted immediately and efforts will be made to track down the criminals.
