PFUJ seeks assistance for floods affected Pakistani media persons

You might be aware of the unprecedented and massive devastation caused by the floods in Pakistan. Over 25 million people have been severely affected besides complete destructions of about 1.7 million houses, parsing of more than 2.5 livestock, standing croups on more than 3.8 millions acres while the flood is still taking its toll in Sindh.

Likewise, the floods have also severely affected media persons across the country. So far houses of about 287 journalists have been completely damaged.

A majority of these journalists had become professional workless owing to displacement, or are severely hampered in their work by the lack of support from their respective media organizations because they do not have permanent staff status or binding contracts with their parent organizations.

Not only this, almost all the affected media persons are those who are self employed and had hired / purchased laptops, computers, cameras, electronic cameras, & other gadgets for reporting, shooting events, which too were lost in floods besides, their books and other important gadgets and equipment was also destroyed in the floods.

You would appreciate it as in the prevailing floods, the importance of the access to information has become more imperative and need of the hour. However, the main instrument of providing information, media persons, themselves have become a victim of the floods, consequently their performance has also been affected to an unbelievable extent, thus it is further compounding the miseries of floods affected population.

You would agree that in such a scenario when media men themselves are in hot waters due to floods, no one can expect their professional output as per ground realities.

Ironically, at present no one is supporting the flood affected media persons. It might be because of the magnitude of devastation in the floods.

Any focus on media persons would go a long way in supporting the media persons back to reporting and keeping the people informed more accurately and promptly.

Helping the distressed media persons who have kept the torch of information burning brightly in regions that were until a few years ago deliberately kept in the darkness, particularly in large swathes of territories affected by conflict, could be one way of acknowledging their efforts to ensure an informed citizenry.

A female journalist Asma Anwar of Noshehra died due to floods. Latest reports reaching our Secretariat revealed that houses of more than 287 journalists were completely damaged in Jaffarabad, Naseerabad, Rojhan, Sohbatpur, Uta Mohammad, Gandakha, Rojhan Jamali, Dera Allahyar, Makran, Sakardu, Gilgit, Baltistan, Khaplu, Mehdiabad, Kalam, Swat, Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Mehdiabad, Swabi, Bajaur, Kohat, Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Malakand, Chitral, Karak, Tank, Hairpur, Dir, Takhtbai, Muzaffargarh, Mianwali, Liyyah, Rajanpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bhakkar, Rahimyar Khan, Rajanpur, Jhang, Sargodha, Lodhran, Sargodha, Ghotki, Sukkur, Kashmore, Shikarpur, Larkana, Dadu, Nawabshah, Thatta, Jampur, Karpur, Sanghar, Sujawal, Kotri, Dadu, Jacobabad and Hyderabad.

You might also be aware that media persons in Pakistan are passing through tough times and are being terrorized by Taliban and fanatics and floods have further aggravated their miseries. All those media-persons who were dislocated, affected, killed or injured and whose houses were completely or partially damaged need compensation. The loss of human life and infrastructure is colossal and miseries of the affected are unbelievable.

The help at this juncture to affected media persons would create an enormous amount of goodwill for your esteemed organisation too.

We have already established a victims fund for the assistance and rehabilitation of media persons. The donations / assistance can be made in an account titled “Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) Account No. 25574 National Bank of Pakistan, Corporate Branch, Super Market, Islamabad, Pakistan”.

We once again appeal to you in the name of the humanity to come forward with liberal and generous assistance to the calamity-hit Pakistani media persons.

Shamsul Islam Naz

Secretary General
PAKISTAN FEDERAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS
12-Nazimuddin Road, F-6/1
Islamabad, Pakistan
Phone Office +92(0)51 2870220-1
Facsimile +92(0)51 2870223
Cellular +92(0)300 8665523
http://www.shamsulislamnaz.com
http://www.pfuj.pk