Pakistan Prime Minister Sꦜhehbaz Sharif on Tuesday reaffirmed the government's strong commitment to supporting all efforts that promote and upholꦆd freedom of expression and free media.
He was adꦑdressing an event organised by the Islamabad Journalist 🃏Safety Forum on the theme of the UN ten years Plan of Action, according to an official statement.
The Prime Mi💧nister said his government believes that🎀 “the freedom of expression is sacrosanct and will remain at the heart of the development of democracy”.
Shehbaz noted democracy and media reinforce each other and that there can be💝 no democracy without freedom of expression and his government would be part of efforts aimed at making Pakistani democracy stronger through greater free media.
Hওe pointed out that Pakistan became the first country in Asia to pass legislation on the 'Safety of Journalists' at the federal and the provincial level in Sindh province and offered support for the ongoing efforts in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan to legislate on the safety of journalists.
He said the Parliament passed a landmark Protection of Journalists and Media Professional Acts after thorough consultations with all the stakeholders, which recognises the r𝔍ights of journalists and seeks to protect media persons from viꦯolence.
He assured the🍎 full implementatio♛n of this legislation.
The prime minister said his government believes that no journalists should be called out or attac🔥ked for exercising their freedom of expression as guaranteed under the constitution of Pakistan.
Referring to the ♓mu𒀰rder of senior Journalist, Arshad Sharif, in Kenya, he said he wrote a letter to the Chief Justice to constitute a commission to investigate the murder.
The event coincided with the Supreme Court ordering the govern💝ment to register a case against the killing of journalist Sharif who was kille🍎d in Kenya in October.
