ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, QamarFederal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Advisor to Prime Minister on Interior Rahman Malik and presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar visited the press gallery at the Parliament House here on Saturday and assured the journalists that the perpetrators of the murder of journalist Raja Asad Hameed would be brought to the book. After the assurance, the journalists decided not to stage a walkout from the media gallery on the occasion of the joint session of the Parliament addressed by President Asif Ali Zardari.
Qamar Zaman Kaira said the government strongly believed in freedom of the press and all necessary steps would be taken to remove the reservations and apprehensions of the journalists' community about their security.
Expressing profound grief over brutal murder of the eminent journalist Raja Asad Hameed, the minister said President Asif Ali Zardari had already directed for formation of a judicial commission as per aspirations of the journalist community to probe the killing of journalists.
The minister said action would be taken as journalists were being targeted and killed and in probing into the incidents the government would also seek help from journalists' community.
He said the government would focus on provision of security to working journalists. He said the government would hold talks with representative bodies of the journalists in this regard.
Rahman Malik said President Asif Zardari had already issued directions for conducting a probe into the murder of Raja Asad through a judicial commission, which would also include and journalists.
He said the commission would investigate into the murder of all the 24 journalists killed in recent years and the report of the commission would also be made public.
He said the government had formed an investigation team, comprising Director IB, Director FIA and SSP Investigation to probe the murder and the journalists representatives would be informed on the investigations on a daily-basis. He urged the media not to leak the investigations, as it could damage the process.
Zaman Kaira, Advisor to Prime Minister on Interior Rahman Malik and presidential s