Benazir's murderers have been arrested, claims Malik
14 December, 2011
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said all conspiring elements and those involved in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto had been apprehended and would be exposed at an appropriate time.
Addressing a conference in Islamabad on Tuesday, he said the case was also pending in the courts and the leadership was not as yet exposing those involved for security reasons. —Online
APP adds: Minister for Interior Rehman Malik on Tuesday said the government wanted journalists to express their opinions without fear as this would ensure their protection and continue to improve their working conditions.
He was addressing a two-day Conference: Media and Professionalism: Keeping Journalists and Journalism Safe in Hostile Environments which was organised here in collaboration with Intermedia Pakistan, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and the Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies (PIPS).
The minister assured the best possible security for journalists and said the Ministry of Interior would extend whatever support needed to ensure their protection. He lauded the media for highlighting the aspects of the war against terrorism, bringing public awareness over the issue as such, and playing its due part, amid difficult situations. "It is the top priority of the government to resolve the problems of working journalists," he said, adding that the government exhibited exceptional respect for media freedom and plurality of views. "We have never believed in the culture of press advice, censorship and control of content or information and all of you are witness to the fact that the democratic government has never stifled media freedom," he asserted.
Rehman Malik said that the democratic government was providing maximum facilities to journalists especially in the form of grants and financial assistance to press clubs and journalists. He assured that the government would not spare any culprits involved in the killing of media persons.
"We are committed to dispensing justice to journalists killed in the line of duty or who were rendered disabled," he added. He also called for training of journalists working in conflict areas, which would help them protect and work in a better way. Capacity building of media was also on the agenda of the government, he said. Separately, talking to British High Commissioner in Pakistan Adam Thomson, Malik said the government was taking effective steps to prevent human trafficking.
Courtesy: The News
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