Saturday, September 24, 2016
Kabul (BNA) President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani met with a number of in-charges of Media outlets, including members of Journalists federation and the members of Commission on Access to Information here on Wednesday September 21 in presidential palace, a statement said.
According to statement, the senior presidential advisor on strategic and public relations Ahmad Nader Naderi said the government is seeking ways to solve problems of the country’s journalists, adding that a special line has been established to address women journalists’ problems.
Representing the Commission on Access to Information, Sayed Akram said that the country’s civil society worked in the last five years to codify the said law, and fortunately since inauguration of the National Unity Government, the law has been codified and the commission has started its routine works. He said that the commission facing budgetary issues, and the ministry of Information and Culture has not yet cooperated with them, asking the president to make the commission work independently. He also asked the president to instruct the ministries for cooperation with the commission.
Member of the Journalist federation Sediqullah Tawhidi said that the law on immunity of the reporters has been already prepared, but yet not implemented. He also said that the cased related to violence and murders of the journalists have not yet investigated in the capital and provinces, asking the president to instruct the line office for addressing such issues.
Representing the women journalists, Shafiqa Habibi said that women journalists facing serious problems across the country.
The president said that most of the government agencies lacking proper information, where without proper information, fight against corruption is also difficult. The president said that a country-wide camping on access to information would be organized so that to make the government agencies responsive, adding that all government agencies would be instructed to share the information with media.
Pointing to problems ahead of the commission on access to information, the president said that a separate budget would be allocated for them, adding that the Ministry of Information and Culture would be tasked to specify a location for the commission routine works.
The president asked the media to realize the vulnerability of the security forces to have mutual respect while talking with officials of the security forces.
The president also said that would follow the cases of journalists by himself, adding that proper environment should be established for women journalists and the violators would be dealt in line with law.
