By NNN-APP,
Islamabad : The Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting has assured the journalist community of government’s support in the face of threats from extremist elements.
“The safety and security of journalists is an important priority of the government as we are committed to a media environment free from a culture of threats and intimidation,” said the minister on Saturday while commenting on the reports on kidnapping attempts on Japanese and Canadian Journalists, and threatening phone calls to a local press reporter.
She said terrorism is a biggest challenge confronting the country and support of all segments of the society is critical to government’s efforts to fight the threat.
“This is a common challenge and we all have a responsibility to stand up to it,” she said and government is committed to ensure media freedom, she added.
“We fully respect media’s right for access to information and freedom of movement. However, in the wake of mounting threats against journalists reporting on the issue of extremism and terrorism, the government has been concentrating on security measures to facilitate a safe environment for media, she said.
At the same time, media’s cooperation with government over security matters will help us in effectively addressing the challenges faced by the newspersons,” Sherry Rehman Minister for Information and Broadcasting added.