ISLAMABAD, 03 MAY (DNA) – PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has stated that his Party is the pioneer of introducing freedom of press in Pakistan and reiterated commitment to the freedom of press and freedom of expression without any compromise on its principles.“Dictators always gagged the press. They even resorted to attacks on journalists and media houses but PPP always stood by the journalist community and fought together with them the dictatorial regimes and their draconian anti-press laws,” he said in his statement on the World Press Freedom Day being observed today across the globe.

He said that PPP leaders, workers and journalists waged a shoulder-to-shoulder struggle for democracy and press freedom ending up them in prisons and police lock-ups.

Bilawal expressed concern over the lack of security to the media persons, especially in the terrorist-hit regions and asked the federal and provincial government to ensure fool-proof security to the working journalists and also welfare of their community.

He said that PPP has proved to be the most tolerant political party in Pakistan, which always respected the honest and constructive criticism and never resorted to violence even when its top leadership was subjected to ruthless media trials and defamations.

“We are harbingers of democratic values & we shall stick to it to promote freedom of press,” he added. Bilawal assured the journalist fraternity that PPP will always lead from the front in any struggle against any move aimed at muzzling and gagging the press and media in Pakistan.

According to International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), at least 115 journalists have been killed in Pakistan since 2000. Pakistan is ranked the fourth deadliest country for journalists, but they have not given up the fight. DNA