Difficult times for journalists in Pakistan Special

Journalism is holy war in the Pakistan region, resident Islamuddin Sajid said. "We and our families have no security, so, I request the international community to help the journalist of this region," he added.

The world should help Pakistan and Afghanistan to eradicate militancy from this region, he says. The 29-year-old was a resident of Maidan village in Dir lower of Malakand Division, an area where the security forces and militants are fighting each other. He has been covering War on Terror issues for his Express News TV channel, the largest media organization in Pakistan. Malkanad, a place which is dangerous for working journalists as militants have already issued threat to journalists who are covering military operation in these areas. He continues to be based in Peshawar in the North-West Frontier Province for the last nine years, reporting from the volatile region of Malakand , Swat , Dir , Bajaur regions and other Tribal Areas, but his family has been forced to leave their home on April 26, 2009. Thereafter on May 05, 2009 Taliban militants destroyed his family home. His family consisting of 18 members is some of the three million Internally Displaced People in Pakistan who are facing a torrid time in the relief camps in Mardan District. Sajid describes life as a refugee and as a journalist in the war-torn region of Pakistan. Sawt and Dir are adjacent districts and both are under militancy and military operation of Pakistani security forces. “I started my journalism career in November 1999 as correspondent of local daily Mashriq, as an 18-year-old from District Dir, while studying as an under-graduate student at University of Peshawar. I went on to complete my master in Journalism and Mass Communication from University of Peshawar, Pakistan from 2002-2004.” “I was fired up to be a journalist during my school days. Once our school teacher told us that “journalists are those people who are the bridge between the public and government”, my teacher always said “journalists can change the society and they can help the poor and needy people”, and so one day I asked the teacher, sir, how I can become a journalist, he said. He advised me on how to go about it, and added “I am sure you will become the journalist”, so from the beginning it was my ambition to become a journalist to help the poor and needy people and work for justice in my area and country,” he adds. When he started my journalism career there was no militancy in our area, basically militancy started from 2007 when Mulana Fazlullah launched his movement in Swat. “As a journalist several times I received threats and also faced some critical situation but God has saved me every time. Besides my family has been receiving constant threats, finally the militants destroyed our home, property, they looted our household, now we are permanently displaced from our area because it’s not possible for me and for my family to go back to Malakand Division because that area is not safe so for. We are facing very critical situation because we have no home, no household, my youngest brother and sisters are displaced from their schools so really we are facing unbearable situation. Militants also attacked my family, my brother and sisters who were injured in the attack.” There are so many problems which people like Ismail are facing due to displacement. “But, I am enjoying my job and my experiences as a journalist and reporting from this region because it’s not possible for everyone to face risk and give live coverage from a war zone, but, my profession has created problems for my family, because of journalism I have lost many things. It’s very difficult to continue journalism in this area, but, I never left it, because, these Is my fight for my nation and peace. We are peace loving people and we never like militancy. But I am afraid for my family. But hope God will help me and my family. In a war-like zone every time you face life threats and in Pakistan it is no different. “You can’t speak against the militants and other fighters. When we are reporting from volatile region of Malakand , Swat , Dir or other Tribal Areas, every time we think that these miscreants will hit us. Some journalists are on the hit list of militants in Swat, Dir and Peshawar. So survival and balanced journalism is really difficult here for us.” Journalists association based in Pakistan are helping journalists from Pakistan who had been hit by violence. “We are having national and provincial level (Federal Union of Journalists, Khyber Union of Journalists, etc ) our journalists organization are helping the journalists but it’s very difficult for them to provide financial support to everyone but most of the time they are requesting the international organization to help the victim journalists or their families.” And he is hopeful the situation will improve, but, it will take time “but I think it’s very difficult to completely eradicate the militants,” he adds on a sad tone.